Mid-Valley Sports

Glad To Be Here, Burl Oakley's star colt, will vie with five other 3-year-olds in the McFadden Memorial on Sunday at Portland Meadows.

The McFadden, named for Corvallis' McFadden family, is a 1 1/1616-mile prep race for the Oregon Derby, which will be run on April 13. The race is restricted to Oregon-bred colts and geldings and has a guaranteed purse of $10,000.

Glad To Be Here won the Os West Oregon Futurity on Dec. 14 and is the top earning horse at Portland Meadows since the meet opened on Oct. 19. In five starts at the track, Glad To Be Here has three wins and a third, earning $22,476.

He will face two other stakes winners in the McFadden: Stately Jack Flash and Yada Yada Yada.

Stately Jack Flash won the Columbia River Stakes on Dec. 1 and Yada Yada Yada won the Bill Wineberg Stakes on Nov. 17. Glad To Be Here beat both of those horses in the Os West.

Glad To Be Here will break from the No. 2 post with only Stately Jack Flash to his inside. The rest of the field going outward is Jitterbug, Les Crime, Yada Yada Yada and Cee Cruiser.

Victor Mercado will be in the irons on Glad To Be Here. Robert Webb will be on Stately Jack Flash and Marijo Terleski will ride Yada Yada Yada.

Webb and Stately Jack Flash will likely present the top challenge to Glad To Be Here. Stately Jack Flash has three wins and three seconds in his seven starts at Portland Meadows with earnings of $20,237, making him No. 2 in money earnings during the meet.

South Albany graduate Twyla Beckner will ride Cee Cruiser.

Oakley, who lives near Cottonwoods between Albany and Lebanon, bred the son of Jumron.

After the McFadden, the March 22 Preview Stakes - also run at 1 1/16 miles - would be the next likely prep race for the Derby. The Preview also has a $10,000 purse.

The 1 1/8-mile Oregon Derby will have a guaranteed payout of $25,000.