The Southwest (Grade 3) (KYD)- $1,000.000 Purse
OP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
January 31, 2026
It always seems that at least one time a year, one of these big prep races will be won by a maiden. On Saturday in the Southwest, that’s exactly what happened as Open Invitation, a horse that had hit the board eight times out of his ten starts, finally claimed the top spot. It’s a massive win for the Mb Stables colt and will be the next horse from this barn to keep an eye on over the next few months. Mb Stables will break a maiden of his own, as the Southwest is actually a race that he had never won before. R Santana Jr is also a first-time winner. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:41.57, which is not one the quicker winning times of this race, but all that was needed. Let’s take a look at it:
(1/4 Mile- :23.17)- Like we saw in the Martha Washington right before this, it’s a Nakamura Stables horse that jumps out to an uncontested early lead as Art Of Boom powers to a length lead on the Alydar Stables- trained Colt Of Personality. Fort Washington sits in a nice spot right to his outside for Maletto and is a length ahead of Maxmillion Farm’s Reciprocal Rubber. It’s about another length to Piano Man, who goes to the third lane for D J C Racing Stables. Nearby to his inside is our eventual winner from Mb Stables, Open Invitation, who is running in the same lane as Fort Washington. The post time favorite, Hurts (Royalty Stables), is next while on the rail. Knockturn Alley (Delta Farms) is next, while Cherokee Monster (TwinTowersRacing) trails the field.
(½ Mile- :46.93)- Art Of Boom leads down the backstretch by a length and a half over Colt Of Personality. Fort Washington holds the third spot, still, and has both Reciprocal Rubber and The Piano Man a length behind him. For now, Open Invitation will still run sixth and is around fourth lengths back as Hurts runs to his inside. Knockturn Alley and Cherokee Monster are still the trailing two.
(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Around the turn and moving into the stretch, Art Of Boom is running the same type of race as Theresaplaceinfrance did for Nakamura Stables right before it. Could he finish the job, or would the trainer see just enough horses get by his entry to keep him out of a check again? Colt Of Personality moves over a lane with the intention of making a move on the leader but has not made that push yet. Reciprocal Rubber slides into the third spot as Fort Washington starts to get a little leg weary. Midway into the turn, an open invitation would set up for Open Invitation to take advantage of, with a lane potentially to the outside of Reciprocal Rubber. Hurts would feel the pain of being blocked on the rail. Cherokee Monster got by a gassed The Piano Man, leaving Knockturn Alley now as the trailer.
(Finish- 1:41.57)- With a furlong to go, Art Of Boom is trying to hold on, but sees them coming on both sides, an all too familiar story for his trainer today at OP. Reciprocal Rubber looked good to his inside, but no one was better than Open Invitation, who made the most of the lane that had set up for him. Could the maiden finally find a way to visit the winners circle for the first time, or would someone else take the win from him? Approaching the wire, it would indeed be his day, going on to win by half a length over Reciprocal Rubber, who prevailed in a photo for place over a hard charging Cherokee Monster. Hurts is fourth, over a fifth-place dead heat between Art Of Boom and Colt Of Personality. The final three are Knockturn Alley, Fort Washington, and a not feeling alright The Piano Man.
About The Winner- Open Invitation, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by R Santana Jr, is a three-year-old gelding by Inviting and is out of Con Minou. He was bred in Ontario as a yearling by Mb Stables, the only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! This was his first win, and his career earnings are now $814.240.
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES