East Avenue is back in action as a 4-year-old. He is set to kick off his season in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3) March 28 at Oaklawn Park.
Coming in off a seven-month layoff, he has not raced since his off-the-board finish in the West Virginia Derby (G3) Aug. 3. A diagnosis of bone bruising after that start led him to be sidelined, and he returned to training at the end of January. The Brendan Walsh trainee was last year's winner of the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs and second in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland by a nose to Burnham Square. The homebred for Godolphin also competed in the Kentucky Derby (G1), where he finished eighth.
As a 2-year-old, the son of Medaglia d'Oro broke his maiden on debut before going on to win the Breeders' Futurity (G1). He went into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) as the post-time favorite, but lost all chance at the start when he stumbled badly.
His return will not be an easy task. Full Serrano, a 7-year-old son of Full Mast, comes in off a third-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 24. Trained by John Sadler and owned by Hronis Racing, the 2024 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner has been slated as the 2-1 morning-line favorite. Nu What's New is coming into the Oaklawn Mile off a second-place finish to Magnitude in the Razorback Handicap (G3) Feb. 28. The James DiVito trainee has been made the morning-line second choice at 3-1.
Oaklawn Park, Saturday, March 28, 2026, Race 11Entries: Oaklawn Mile S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Will Take It (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 124 Dallas Stewart 10/1 2 2Neoequos (FL) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 119 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 12/1 3 3Gun Party (KY) Erik Asmussen 117 Steven M. Asmussen 12/1 4 4East Avenue (KY) Cristian A. Torres 117 Brendan P. Walsh 7/2 5 5Full Serrano (ARG) Antonio Fresu 117 John W. Sadler 2/1 6 6Coal Battle (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 117 Lonnie Briley 6/1 7 7Nu What's New (KY) Luis Saez 124 James P. DiVito 3/1 8 8Awesome Aaron (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 117 Norm W. Casse 10/1
Parchment Party returns after Melbourne cup
The Bill Mott trainee Parchment Party makes his return to the States in the 1 1/2-mile, $200,000 Temperence Hill Stakes after competing in the Melbourne Cup (G1) last November.
The 5-year-old son of Constitution is the morning-line, even-money favorite. Last year, he won the off-the-turf Belmont Gold Cup Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course, which earned him a berth to the Melbourne Cup. Owned by Pin Oak Stud, he went on to take the Birdstone Stakes, also at Saratoga, before shipping to Australia where he finished off the board.
Oaklawn Park, Saturday, March 28, 2026, Race 4Entries: Temperence Hill S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Forged Steel (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 117 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 9/2 2 2Happy Strike (KY) Amir Mendoza 117 F. Dewaine Loy 20/1 3 3Tracking Error (KY) Abel Cedillo 117 Greg Compton 12/1 4 4Compton (ON) Rafael Bejarano 117 Jerry Dixon, Jr. 20/1 5 5Parchment Party (KY) Luis Saez 117 William I. Mott 1/1 6 6Jokestar (ON) Pietro Moran 124 Kevin Attard 8/5
Publisher back in stakes company
Publisher looks to make it three wins in a row in the $135,000 American Pharoah Overnight Stakes. He was second in last year's Arkansas Derby (G1) before competing in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 14th. The Steve Asmussen trainee began his career 0-for-12, competing in the Indiana Derby (G3) and Oklahoma Derby (G3) before breaking his maiden Feb. 15 on his 13th try. He followed that up by winning an allowance race March 7. Publisher has been made the 3-1 second choice in the 1 1/16-mile test behind the Mark Casse trainee Classic Car Wash, who is listed at 2-1.
Oaklawn Park, Saturday, March 28, 2026, Race 9Entries: American Pharoah Overnight S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Winnemac Avenue (KY) Luis Saez 117 James P. DiVito 7/2 2 2Tonka Warrior (NY) Abel Cedillo 117 McLean Robertson 15/1 3 3Echo Again (KY) Cristian A. Torres 124 Norm W. Casse 12/1 4 4Publisher (KY) Erik Asmussen 124 Steven M. Asmussen 3/1 5 5Woodcourt (KY) Emmanuel Esquivel 124 Cipriano Contreras 15/1 6 6Timeout (KY) Kendrick Carmouche 117 William I. Mott 9/2 7 7Prince of Power (KY) Javier Padron-Barcenas 121 Jesus Esquivel 10/1 8 8Classic Car Wash (FL) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Mark E. Casse 2/1
