Win Willy to kick off his seven-year-old campaign in Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park
McLean Robertson trained 7-year-old horse, Win Willy, is ready to kick off his 2013 campaign at Oaklawn Park, where he became the fan favourite back in 2009 when he cause a major upset by winning the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at the odds of 56 to 1.
Jer-Mar Stable’s Win Willy is pointed toward the $75,000 Fifth Season Stakes, which is scheduled to run on 11 January, 2013, a race that Win Willy won in 2011 by defeating Stachys in second and Kate’s Main Man in third, as he got the 1 1/16 mile distance
in 1 minute and 46.15 seconds.
For this year’s Fifth Season Stakes, Win Willy turned in a working session on 3 January, 2013, when he breezed five furlongs in 1 minute and 3 4/5 seconds over the Oaklawn Park’s fast track.
"It was okay from what I could see," said trainer Mac Robertson. "We'll probably work him again before he runs. It looks like the Fifth Season is about right."
Apart from winning the Fifth Season Stakes in 2011, which was the horse’s debut start of the year, Win Willy won the Grade 2 Oaklawn Park Handicap over a distance of 1 1/8 miles.
It was a brilliant victory, as he went on to defeat Misremebered in second and Winslow Homer in third, and downed the race in 1 minute and 48.82 seconds.
Bred in Kentucky by Overbrook Farm, Win Willy came close to winning the Essex Handicap, when he was defeated in second by Kate’s Main Man. He finished third in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap to winner It Happened Again.
"He's had a lot of breaks over his time so he's stayed pretty fresh," said Robertson. "He really started to perk up at Delaware and got to running pretty good up there last year. It's a new year. He didn't like the way the (Oaklawn) track played last year,
but so far it seems like he's doing better this time."
The son of Monarchos, Win Willy has won five out of 13 starts at Oaklawn Park, and his career victories are 10 in 27 races.
Tags: