Jenkin splashes home in the Year’s End (Coady Media)
Robert Yates/Oaklawn Park
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Arkansas lumberman John Ed Anthony now has two horses on the Kentucky Oaks trail following Jenkin’s three-quarter length victory in the $175,000 Year’s End Stakes for 2-year-old fillies Sunday at Oaklawn.
Jenkin ($10.60) gave trainer Lindsay Schultz her first career Oaklawn stakes victory and the record-extending 296th career Oaklawn victory for Anthony, whose horses now race under the Shortleaf Stable banner.
Jenkin is a stablemate of the John Ortiz-trained Quietside, one of the nation’s top 2-year-old fillies. Quietside is scheduled to make her 3-year-old debut in the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 25, Oaklawn’s first of three Kentucky Oaks qualifying races.
Jenkin, a daughter of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, was making her stakes debut in the one-mile Year’s End, which headlined Oaklawn’s third annual card exclusively for 2-year-olds.
Fifth down the backstretch, but within striking distance, Jenkin began creeping toward the lead with a three-wide move late on the second turn and collared front-running You’ll Be Back on the outside in the final sixteenth of a mile.
Jenkin, who was ridden by Francisco Arrieta, ran the mile over a muddy, sealed surface in 1:40.12. You’ll Be Back, who was making her stakes and two-turn debut, held second, 2 ½ lengths ahead of Adeera. Glee, who finished fourth as the 9-5 favorite, was followed, in order, by Kinzie Queen, Mischievous Bria and Itwillbefun. Piggy Tales Up was a late scratch.
Jenkin gets her first stakes win in the Year's End at Oaklawn Park for trainer @LSchultz626 with Francisco Arrieta in the saddle!
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) December 29, 2024
TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/iLg5deSdCe
Jenkin won for the second time in four starts to raise her earnings to $180,150. She was exiting a maiden special weight victory in her two-turn debut Dec. 6 at Oaklawn.
Like Quietside, Jenkin is a Shortleaf homebred.
Racing resumes Friday at 12:30 p.m. (Central).
YEAR’S END QUOTES
Winning jockey Francisco Arrieta (Jenkin): “I wanted to get a better position (early). I used her a little bit out of the gate to get a good position, but they were going quicker than I thought, so I just sat. I couldn’t keep going with them. She seemed like she didn’t like the dirt. When I put her in the clear, she started moving and kept coming. She did a great job.”
Winning trainer Lindsay Schultz (Jenkin): “That filly, I think she’ll appreciate all the distance she can get and she certainly seems progressive. She’s improved with every race. Mr. Anthony has a couple of nice 2-year-old fillies. So, it’s a good situation he’s in.”
Runner-up trainer Tom Amoss (You’ll Be Back): “It was her first try two turns and she was pretty keen down the backside. She’s never done it before and it will serve her well to relax better next time at the two-turn distance.”
