Doublecents Romps in Oaklawn Maiden, Earns Rising Star Status

Doublecents did not just win his maiden at Oaklawn Park. He stamped himself as a colt to remember, romping by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:09.48 and turning his second career start into a runaway statement on the final day of the 2025-2026 meet.

Sent off as the 4/9 favorite in Race 8, the Goldencents colt was sharp from the break, quickly took control of the six-furlong maiden special weight on a fast track, and never gave the field a chance to close. Ramon A. Vazquez kept him in command throughout, and the finish looked more like a horse separating himself from the pack than a young runner grinding out his first victory.

That matters because Doublecents had already shown ability in his debut, when he finished second to Munnings Challenge in an Oaklawn maiden special weight on April 11. Munnings Challenge returned to win again after that race, which only strengthened the form of Doublecents’ earlier loss and made his turnaround look even more convincing. Rather than needing time to figure things out, Doublecents returned with a cleaner, faster, more professional effort and put the race away before it had time to develop.

For trainer Brett Creighton and owner Keene Thoroughbreds LLC, the performance gave them something more valuable than a routine maiden winner. Doublecents, a Kentucky-bred bay colt foaled April 6, 2023, by Goldencents out of Moka Latte by Uncle Mo, now carries the look of a colt whose next steps could come much sooner than later. The victory also made him Goldencents’ third TDN Rising Star, a sign that the sire is still producing precocious runners with real upside.

Oaklawn’s closing-day spotlight only added to the significance. Spring maiden races for 3-year-olds often serve as launch points for bigger ambitions, and Doublecents checked several boxes that horsemen notice: he improved from start one to start two, he won decisively, he handled pressure as a heavy favorite, and he did it in a time that suggests there is more speed to come. In a season full of hopefuls, Doublecents looked less like a maiden winner and more like a colt beginning to announce himself on the national 3-year-old scene.