A full field of 14 has waited an additional week for the $1 million Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Mother Nature hopefully has relented enough to see this one out on Friday. The second of 4 races on the Arkansas Derby trail could be the deepest Triple Crown prep so far in 2026.

Horseplayers with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet can take part Friday in a $10 money-back special promotion on both the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn as well as Aqueduct’s similarly rescheduled Withers Stakes. Get up $10 back on win bets that finish second or third in either race.

Let’s meet the contenders for the Southwest Stakes (Race 11):

#1-RECLAMATION: Second-start maiden breaker stretches out from sprint-to-route while making his stakes debut for Christopher Davis. Must make up 13 lengths on Southwest rival D’code from their common debut races Dec. 14. Ramon Vazquez rides.

#2-D’CODE: Smashing Dec. 14 debut sprint winner by 8-1/4 lengths in a lightning 1:09-3/5. This $775,000 yearling buy by Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Speightstown takes the class and distance rise in one swoop. Luis Saez won the 2021 Southwest aboard Essential Quality and has the call for the first time aboard this Ray Ashford Jr. trainee.

#3-BUETANE: Scratched from last week’s Holy Bull at Gulfstream due to travel cancellation. First of 2 entrants in this year’s field for trainer Bob Baffert, who has a record 6 Southwest victories to his credit. Grade 1 Hopeful and Grade 2 San Vicente runner-up makes his first start around 2 turns. Jockey Juan Hernandez jumps seats to ride Litmus Test and not this $1.15 million son of Belmont winner Tiz the Law.

#4-RANCHO SANTA FE: One-paced, wide trip in the Smarty Jones Stakes when finishing fifth at 5-2 odds. Flavien Prat takes over the mount aboard the Tapit colt who is half-brother to millionaire earner Heroic Move. Trainer Brad Cox won the 2021 Southwest with champion 2-year-old and eventual Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality. The Cox barn finished fourth here last year with 4-5 favorite Patch Adams.

#5-LITMUS TEST (pictured): The presumed favorite will be Bob Baffert’s second shot Friday at a record-padding seventh Southwest win. The $875,000 Nyquist colt won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity last out and retains jockey Juan Hernandez. Prior to that he picked up minor checks in 3 straight Grade 1s: the Del Mar Futurity, the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar.

#6-CIRCLE TAP: Fifth-start maiden graduate exits a Dec. 27 victory in his first try at Oaklawn. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. won this race in 2020 aboard Silver Prospector and 2014 aboard Tapiture. $335,000 juvenile purchase by Twirling Candy has wintered at Oaklawn for Dallas Stewart.

#7-LIBERTY NATIONAL: Rallying second-place finisher in the Gun Runner Stakes last out, where he’s spent the winter at Fair Grounds. Trainer Kenny McPeek won this race in 2024 with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. This $525,000 colt by Maxfield has a Jan. 17 bullet workout in New Orleans and will be ridden again by Brian Hernandez Jr.

#8-SPIRIT OF ROYAL: After 5 unsuccessful sprints, this Dallas Stewart trainee found maiden success when stretched out to a mile at Oaklawn on Jan. 2. Francisco Arrieta will be back aboard the late-running Global Campaign colt as he makes his stakes debut.

#9-STRATEGIC RISK: Two-turn dynamo since stretching out in the Florida Sire Stakes In Reality at Gulfstream and last out in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. Won those by 13-1/2 combined lengths in flashy style. Since both races were first run in 2008, Far Right in 2015 is the only Smarty Jones winner to also add the Southwest trophy. Red-hot trainer Mark Casse gets Javier Castellano back from Florida to once again ride this colt grandson of Belmont Stakes winners Birdstone and Afleet Alex.

#10-BRICKLIN: $450,000 Nyquist colt has alternated losses and wins through 4 starts, scoring an Oaklawn allowance over a mile Jan. 3 most recently. Trainer Rodolphe Brisset loses jockey Cristian Torres to Silent Tactic on Friday, opting for Jaime Torres in replacement.

#11-SILENT TACTIC: Rallying runner-up in the Smarty Jones Stakes at 14-1 odds will be more on the radar this time for a Mark Casse barn that continues to sizzle. He’s routed around 2 turns in all 3 starts, including a Woodbine synthetic win and runner-up there in the Grey Stakes. Cristian Torres swaps saddles with Jaime Torres (Bricklin) from their previous assignments.

#12-BAYTOWN DREAMER: Longshot third in the Smarty Jones at 84-1 odds, his lone victory in 9 starts to date came on turf at Ellis Park in July. Paul McEntee trains the colt by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn. Orlando Bocachica returns for the mount.

#13-SOLDIER N DIPLOMAT: Saratoga and Churchill juvenile winner makes his 3YO debut after a third-place effort in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Steve Asmussen has trained 3 Southwest winners, most recently Silver Prospector in 2020. Jose Ortiz rode him to his debut win at the Spa and returns for the first time since. $950,000 juvenile buy by Army Mule is a grandson of millionaire sprint mare Miraculous Miss.

#14-SLEEPINGONFREEDOM: Fourth-place Smarty Jones Stakes finisher was drawn widest that day in a field of 8 and once again Friday in post 14. Trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Emmanuel Esquivel won this race in 2024 with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. Independence Day colt posted Keeneland and Churchill restricted victories in back-to-back starts prior to the Smarty Jones.