(Arrest Me Red / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Turfway Park Media Team / Kevin Kerstein:

ARREST ME RED SET TO DEFEND TITLE IN SATURDAY’S $125,000 BIG DADDY

FLORENCE, Ky. (Wednesday, March 4, 2026) – Lael Stables’ millionaire Arrest Me Red will attempt to defend his title against six accomplished sprinters in Saturday’s fifth running of the $125,000 Big Daddy Stakes (Listed) at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming.

Run at six furlongs, the Big Daddy Stakes is Saturday’s featured eighth race with a post time of 9:25 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post for the 10-race card is 5:55 p.m.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Arrest Me Red has recorded 11 victories from 29 lifetime starts and banked more than $1.5 million in earnings. In last year’s Big Daddy Stakes, Arrest Me Red went gate to wire while holding off Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (GI) winner Nobals. The 8-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile will break from post No. 3 under Luan Machado.

Chief among his rivals are Holiday Cheer winner Joe Shiesty and Forego Stakes winner G T Five Hundred.

Joe Shiesty, owned by Foster Family Racing, Lonnie Reynolds, Vicki Mills and Don Coomes and trained by Eric Foster, will make his first start as a 5-year-old. His stakes victories include the 2024 William Walker (Listed) and last year’s Mighty Beau (Listed) and Holiday Cheer. Fernando De La Cruz has the mount from post 7.

G T Five Hundred, claimed for $40,000 by owners Michael Dubb and Doug Nachman in November 2024, has won his last three starts, all at Turfway Park, including the Forego Stakes three weeks ago. The Mike Maker trainee will break from post 5 under Walter Rodriguez.

The field for the Forego from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

  • Mischievous Angel (Vincent Cheminaud, Jorge Abreu)
  • Runnin’ Rocket (Rafael Hernandez, Joe Sharp)
  • Arrest Me Red (Machado, Ward)
  • Cinister Cix (Gerardo Corrales, Shane Sands)
  • G T Five Hundred (Rodriguez, Maker)
  • I’m A Gambler (IRE) (Julio Hernandez, Peter Synnefias)
  • Joe Shiesty (De La Cruz, Foster)

The Big Daddy Stakes is named in honor of the late Rick Leigh, a pillar of the Kentucky racing community who worked in the sport for more than 50 years, including roles as racing secretary at Turfway Park and a steward at tracks across Kentucky. He died in 2020 at age 73.

For more information about racing and gaming from Turfway Park, visit Turfway.com.