Levy Trail Loop/Oaklawn

 HOT SPRINGS—I walked for 42:15 through the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort building and over a few blocks of neighborhoods west of Central Avenue late this morning before I wrote two, c. 800-word stories. The first was an advance story to journalistically market the first running of the Mistletoe Stakes for three-year-old fillies, which had a bit of an opening-day feature built into it. Then I wrote a race story for the Advent Stakes for two-year-old horses. Combined, they are an eight-minute read. I haven't reread them but feel confident they will not embarrass me. ...Yesterday, I walked the Levy Trail Loop in 35:45. ...By the way, solely because my laptop rewrote a typo to read "catalyst," I wrote the word for the first time ever in Story No. 1. I'm not sure I have ever said catalyst. I won't likely ever know, but I believe there is a reasonable chance a college-schooled journalism major (I am the only one I know to have worked for a newspaper who is not) will strike the word from my story. Truth is, I kind of reached to whittle it in place.

PETE PERKINS

HOT SPRINGS — Three-year-old filly Semble Juste stood in her stall, her salmon-pink gums aimed at an onlooker’s hand, which, unfortunately for her, was free of snacks. At 9 a.m. Friday, she seemed aware of nothing else but the treat-free palm, including the bubbling furor of opening day all around her.

After all, opening day for Semble Juste, a daughter of the Irish sire Shalaa, comes today, when she and stablemate Oliviaofthedesert are entered to race in the first running of the $150,000 1-mile-and-1/16th Mistletoe Stakes for three-year-old fillies at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.

Post time for the feature, the ninth of 10 races on the card, is scheduled for 4:13 p.m.

As 86-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas sat on his pony late in the morning training session, eager to escort a racehorse to the track, he sounded sympathetic to Semble Juste’s indifference.

“When you’re 86, you don’t get excited about much anymore, including opening day,” Lukas said. “I get excited about the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup, and that’s about it.”

Cold early-morning fog had responded to the catalyst of warmth and risen into the overcast sky. The clump and click of horse hooves on dirt and asphalt, respectively, highlighted the soundtrack of opening day on the backside. Despite Semble Juste’s equine apathy, excitement among horsemen was evident.

“I thought it was a little bit dull around here until this morning,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said. “This morning, you can tell it’s opening day. Everyone’s excited. Everyone’s a little more pumped up. Even yesterday, at feed time last night, you could tell the helpers were getting a little revved up and stuff, and that’s continued this morning.”

Commonly referred to among horsemen and fans alike as the earliest opening race date since racing at Oaklawn began 117 years and 10 months ago, Friday was in fact the latest date for opening day. According to press accounts, the 1945 fall season — moved from the spring in deference to the final months of World War II — extended until December 8.

Lukas said it was high time for December racing at Oaklawn. He said he had long recommended the change to Oaklawn president Louis Cella.

“Every year, I’ve said they needed to start in December,” Lukas said. “I even kidded Louis about it. I said, ‘I’m glad to see we finally got together on this.’ ’’

Lukas, like everyone, has noticed nearly universal approval for the late early start.

“None of my colleagues are negative about this,” Lukas said. “None of them.”

Diodoro said it’s different from seasons past, when shippers from Kentucky had to wait seven weeks or more to race. For this season, the wait lasted five days.

“It does make it a little more of a rush,” Diodoro said. “Our foreman and the last couple of grooms just got here last night from Kentucky, but at the same time, I’m not complaining. I’m definitely excited about starting this early. Anytime you can run at Oaklawn and be in Hot Springs longer, that’s a good thing.”

Steeped in stakes experience, including a fourth-place finish in Oaklawn’s Grade III 1-mile-1/16th Honeybee Stakes on March 6 last season, Susan Moulton’s Oliviaofthedesert, 15 4-1-3, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Mistletoe.

Trainer Kenny McPeek, with horses stabled for a full season at Oaklawn for the first since 2017, said Olviaofthedesert’s consistency has served her well.

“She’s been really solid all year long,” McPeek said. “She’s a filly that seems to be going in the right direction.”

Oliviaofthedesert, a daughter of Bernardini, was sent into her three-year-old campaign off a win as the favorite in the 1-mile Trapeze Stakes last December at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. She has three turf starts this year, including a seventh-place finish, 4 /12 lengths behind the winner in a field of 11, in the Grade III 1-mile-and-1/16th Valley View Stakes at Keeneland Race Course on Oct. 29. The Mistletoe comes as her first start since the race at Keeneland.

David Cabrera is listed to ride Oliviaofthedesert.

David Cohen has agreed to ride Semble Juste, 12 2-1-2 and the 8-1 morning-line sixth choice, in her first stakes start.

“The filly has run really well,” McPeek said. “She deserves a shot at the black type, which is really what we’re after.”

Brad Cox trains Madaket Stables’, Wonder Stables’, and 4K2 Stables’ Marion Francis, 10 3-3-3, by Constitution, the 4-1 second-choice in the program. Marion Francis, with Francisco Arrieta set to ride, won her last start in a $100,000 1-mile-and-1/16th optional-claiming race at Keeneland on Oct. 21.

James Rogers’ and Michael Robinson’s Kavod won the opening-day feature, the 6-furlong Advent Stakes for two-year-old horses before an estimated crowd of 15,000 at Oaklawn on Friday.

Six hours earlier, Diodoro fretted over a chance for wet weather today, and he said his concern had nothing to with the quality of the track.

“I’m thinking about the fans,” he said. “I hope we can have nice weather for them tomorrow.”

PETE PERKINS

HOT SPRINGS — Experience paid off for a two-year-old claimer in the first feature race of Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s latest opening day.

James Rogers’ and Michael Robinson’s Kavod, ridden by Francisco Arrieta and trained by Chris Hartman, won the first running of the $150,000 6-furlong Advent Stakes for two-year-old horses in 1:09.97 before an estimated crowd of 15,000 at Oaklawn on Friday, the first day of the racetrack’s 2021-22 season.

Kavod, off at 3-1, finished as a one-length winner over second-place Higher Standard, the 4-5 favorite ridden by Florent Geroux. Tom Amoss trains High Standard, a son of Into Mischief and maternal grandson of Northern Afleet who raced in the Advent a mere 19 days after she won her first career start at Churchill Downs on Nov. 24.

Four-1 third-choice Cairama, ridden from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen by Ricardo Santana, Jr., finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Higher Standard and 1 1/2 lengths in front of fourth-place Ruggs, off at 12-1 under jockey Martin Garcia. Ruggs is trained by Ron Moquett.

Kavod, 9 3-0-0, had one more career start than any other entrant in the eight-horse field. His starts included four consecutive out-of-the-money finishes in four graded-stakes races, including a last-place finish behind five others in the Grade I 1-mile Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct in New York on Oct. 2. The Champagne is one of 10 U.S. Kentucky Derby qualifying races for two-year-olds.

After those starts, Kavod was entered as a $50,000-claimer in a 6-furlong start at Churchill Downs on Nov. 20.

Hartman filed a claim for Kavod’s current owners. After the race, which Kavod won in 1:08.20, Hartman walked away with the winner.

Hartman said he thought he would take a shot at the Advent.

“He came out of his last race really good,” he said. “This race didn’t look like it was overly stacked, so we took a chance, and it paid off.”

Geroux, a handful of minutes after his finish on the beaten favorite, figuratively bowed to Kavod’s experience as he paused in the paddock on his way to the jocks’ room.

“The winner, he’s a horse with a lot of experience,” Geroux said. “He came out of a very strong race at Churchill. It was claiming, but he won very decisively, but he’s just a more experienced horse. Our horse has only run one time, shipped straight from Churchill to here. Short rest. We had a couple of things going against us.”

Regardless of his experience, with eight previous career starts, compared to one for each of the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers, Kavod willingly ran into trouble just past the quarter-mile split of 21.61, when he was third behind race-leader Oro Azteca and Higher Standard, who was tucked near the rail.

Under Arrieta’s command, Kavod slowed to avoid contact with Higher Standard, a hesitation that allowed Rugg to move into third. It also positioned Kavod for whatever acceleration he was capable of.

Which, on this particular date, the latest on the calendar to serve as Oaklawn’s opening day, was a lot.

Kavod dug in and raced between and past Oro Azteca, who led through the half in 44.96 but would fade to last, and Ruggs, who Kavod passed near the head of the stretch. Kavod chased Higher Standard’s lead past the one-eighth pole. With one-sixteenth of a mile left, he passed Higher Standard and pulled away through the wire.

“He broke good,” Arrieta said. “A couple of horses went to the lead. I tried to relax him. When he was stopped behind horses, he was a little green. At the quarter pole, he may have been in a little bit of trouble. Finally, he came back and I went for the space. When I asked him, he ran. Great job. Great horse.”

On Wednesday, Amoss said he wondered how Higher Standard would respond to a trip from New Orleans and the relatively short break between starts. He said the latter was his primary concern. With that declaration in mind, Amoss said he was happy with his colt’s second-place finish.

“The horse ran well,” Amoss said. “We came back a little quick with him in the race, and the ship, and maybe that cost him a little bit in the end, but I was pleased with the way he ran.”

Like parents of young children, trainers tend to applaud improvement and any hint of talent displayed by their two-year-old horses.

Moquett seemed delighted by Ruggs’ fourth-place performance, which came after the son of Gun Runner’s only previous start, a win over 6 1/2 furlongs at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Nov. 15.

“It’s a step forward,” Moquett said. “He’s an immature colt. This is his second race, and I think he ran greenly but showed some talent. That’s all we can ask right now. He’ll keep moving forward.”

Ten minutes after Kavod’s victory, Hartman hesitantly said he might, perhaps think about the consideration of a longer race for his winner, but that he thought a better target for Kavod was the possibility of continued sprint success.

“I like to run, so there’s always a chance [Kavod will go longer],” Hartman said. “I like to run and he likes to run, but I believe I’ll sprint him.”