[Opinion] Litmus Test Will Be Scratched From the Southwest Stakes

Head to Head: Diverging opinions on full Southwest field

The Grade 3 Southwest Stakes finally goes to post Friday after being postponed a week because of inclement weather. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds is the second stop on Oaklawn’s road to the Kentucky Derby series, and it offers qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis. The top five finishers from Oaklawn’s first prep race, the Smarty Jones Stakes, are back for more and joined by eight additional runners. Morning-l…

Strategic Risk the Top Selection in Competitive Southwest Stakes

This year’s edition of the $1 million Southwest Stakes Feb. 6 at Oaklawn Park drew a highly competitive field of 3-year-olds, with 13 horses expected to start following the scratch of morning-line favorite Litmus Test. Read More...

Kentucky Derby Betting: Can Strategic Risk Defend the Southwest Turf?

Strategic Risk Leads the Charge into Oaklawn Park The road to the 152nd Run for the Roses reaches a fever pitch this Friday as the $1 million Southwest Stakes finally takes center stage. Originally scheduled for late January, Mother Nature forced a tactical retreat for the top three-year-olds in the country. Now, on February 6, the racing world turns its eyes to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We see a landscape where the 2026 Kentucky Derby Odds fluctua…

Litmus Test Will Be Scratched from the Southwest Stakes

Trainer Bob Baffert has confirmed that GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner Litmus Test (Nyquist) will be scratched from Friday's $1-million GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Litmus Test was listed at 5-2 on the morning line. “We're waiting for the San Felipe,” Baffert said via text. “Never intended to run him at Oaklawn.” The GII San Felipe Stakes will be held at Santa Anita Mar. 7. Baffert will still be represented by Buetane (Tiz the Law) in…