Veteran sprinter Tejano Twist has an opportunity to take another step toward the $2 million mark in career earnings when he faces an expected six other older runners in the $250,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3) March 14 at Oaklawn Park.
A 7-year-old Practical Joke gelding trained by Chris Hartman for owners JD Thoroughbreds and Joey Keith Davis, Tejano Twist enters Saturday's 6-furlong tilt with six previous stakes wins and 14 other stakes placings as well as $1,757,632 in career earnings. While a Whitmore victory would not push Tejano Twist past the $2 million career earnings mark, it likely would lift him past $1.9 million.
Those six stakes wins include a clear victory in the 2023 edition of the Whitmore. The veteran runner has won or placed in the past three editions of the race, including a third last year after finishing second in 2024. Grade 1-placed Tejano Twist, who began his career at 2, will be making the 47th start of his career and fourth start of the season Saturday.
Hartman will enter a formidable pair of runners Saturday in Tejano Twist, the 5-2 morning-line favorite off a March 1 allowance level win at Oaklawn; and Wendelssohn, the 3-1 second-choice off a third-place finish in the Feb. 8 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn (where Tejano Twist finished second).
A 5-year-old son of Mendelssohn, Wendelssohn will try to secure the first graded stakes win of his career after capturing a pair of stakes in 2025: the Thanksgiving Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and the restricted Eclipse Stakes at Oaklawn. Like Saturday's test, both of those races were contested at 6 furlongs on the dirt.
Trainer Steve Asmussen, who won the 2024 edition of the Whitmore with Jaxon Traveler and last year's race with Booth, this year has entered multiple stakes winner Ryvit and stakes winner Bourbon Bash.
River Wind Takes Stakes Aim in Purple Martin
While older sprinters will contest the Whitmore, Saturday's Oaklawn card also will feature 3-year-old fillies also going 6 furlongs in the $150,000 Purple Martin Stakes.
Trainer Norm Casse will send out 2-1 morning-line favorite River Wind, who last month impressively won her career debut at Oaklawn at 6 furlongs in a maiden special weight race. The daughter of Lexitonian opened a clear advantage through a quarter mile and then added to that margin at each call that followed to win by 8 1/4 lengths.
River Wind races for Turman Racing Stable, Resilient Six Stables, and TJR Thoroughbreds.
The expected field of seven also includes Goodall, a recent maiden winner at Fair Grounds for Spendthrift Farm and Asmussen as well as You're In Heaven, a daughter of Global Campaign owned by WinStar Farm and trainer Dallas Stewart.
Oaklawn Park, Saturday, March 14, 2026, Race 8Entries: Purple Martin S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1River Wind (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 119 Norm W. Casse 2/1 2 2Wrong Shoes (KY) Danilo Grisales Rave 119 John Alexander Ortiz 8/1 3 3Front Runnin (KY) Luis S. Quinonez 119 Kyle Deville 15/1 4 4Goodall (KY) Erik Asmussen 119 Steven M. Asmussen 5/2 5 5Not a Lady (KY) Keith J. Asmussen 119 Steven M. Asmussen 12/1 6 6Our Two Girls (KY) Emmanuel Esquivel 119 Kenneth G. McPeek 5/1 7 7You're in Heaven (KY) Francisco Arrieta 119 Dallas Stewart 3/1
Oaklawn Park, Saturday, March 14, 2026, Race 10Entries: Whitmore S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Wendelssohn (KY) David Cabrera 124 Chris A. Hartman 3/1 2 2Ryvit (KY) Erik Asmussen 124 Steven M. Asmussen 4/1 3 3Tough Catch (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 124 Dallas Stewart 7/2 4 4Tejano Twist (KY) Francisco Arrieta 124 Chris A. Hartman 5/2 5 5Gold Sweep (KY) Walter De La Cruz 117 John Haran 10/1 6 6Bourbon Bash (KY) Keith J. Asmussen 124 Steven M. Asmussen 5/1 7 7Spankster (KY) Emmanuel Esquivel 117 S. Jade Cunningham 20/1
