In case you had been launched to horse racing via Griffin Johnson, you are not alone. After taking hundreds of thousands of followers to the Kentucky Derby with Sandman, Griffin is again with one other promising horse. ewing. He’ll run within the Ozark Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Sizzling Springs, Ark. on Monday, President’s Day.
This is what you actually need to know:
he‘Named after an NBA legend: Owned by DJ Secure, West Level Thoroughbred and Kenneth Freilich, Ewing is a tribute to Corridor of Fame heart Patrick Ewing, who manned the paint for the New York Knicks from the mid-Nineteen Eighties to the late Nineties. Griffin Johnson owns the stallion via West Level Thoroughbreds, led by Terry Finley. After profitable the NCAA Championship with the Georgetown Hoyas in 1984, Patrick Ewing led the Knicks to 2 NBA Finals appearances.
he‘Undefeated: Ewing started his profession final summer season and has a 2-2 file at Saratoga Race Course. The upstate New York racetrack is named the launching pad for a lot of proficient 2-year-old horses (most horses begin racing at age 2), and Ewing made his re-debut on July 5 with an eye-popping 12-length victory. Translation: He appeared legit. He then ran within the $200,000 Saratoga Particular Stakes on August 2nd, profitable a six-furlong dash over the extremely regarded Obliteration by one size.
he‘He might be returning after greater than 7 months of relaxation. Ewing’s proprietor and Corridor of Fame coach Mark Casse had deliberate to race Ewing within the fall of 2025, however gave him time without work resulting from a minor harm. As is frequent in horse racing, horse managers would quite shield proficient athletes than rush them. Ewing finally headed to Oaklawn Park for coaching this winter and has been getting ready for his return since mid-December.
he‘In his nook is a coach and jockey duo. Mark Kass and jockey Cristian Torres not too long ago mixed for an enormous win at Oaklawn. On February 6, they received two 3-year-old stakes races, the Martha Washington Stakes (Search Celebration) and the Southwest Stakes (Silent Ways). These races are preludes to the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, respectively. Total, Mark Casse has received a powerful 45 p.c of his races at Oaklawn Park to this point.
he‘Nice likelihood to run within the Kentucky Derby: The Ozark Stakes is a six-furlong (three-quarters of a mile) dash. That is the space Ewing discovered success at Saratoga final summer season. The Kentucky Derby, however, is a route race that consists of 1 mile and one quarter (10 furlongs), and roughly two corners. The Kentucky Derby is a a lot totally different problem than a dash and requires horses to construct up a whole lot of stamina to deal with it. Ewing has a promising pedigree for long-distance races, however the reality is that he has to this point been confined to sprints and might be returning after an prolonged break.
Mark Kass may be very affected person as a coach, so it’s extremely seemingly that he will not be dashing this proficient stallion’s growth, particularly since he turned 152 years previous.n.d. There are simply over two months left till the Kentucky Derby. Regardless of the distance, the longer term seems brilliant for this stallion. Griffin-Johnson, Ewing’s different horse house owners and plenty of horse racing followers have excessive expectations for the approaching months, beginning with President’s Day. The Ozark Stakes might be broadcast reside on FS2 and FanDuel TV, with a scheduled broadcast time of 5:42 p.m. ET.
