A busy spring awaits Dogwood Stable

Dogwood Stable's Aikenite will continue to draw plenty of attention this year, but there's a triumvirate of three-year-olds campaigned by the Aiken-based stable that will bear watching in 2012, Raconteur, Liberty Bound and Big Screen.

W. Cothran Campbell, Dogwood Stable president, received the Eclipse Award of Merit for a lifetime of outstanding achievement at the 41st Annual Eclipse Awards presented by the Daily Racing Form and the Breeders' Cup. The Eclipse Awards were held at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Jan. 16. Campbell had received a call from Keeneland Race Course president and CEO Nick Nicholson several months prior to the announcement that something significant may happen in the near future.

"He said, 'I have good news for you and it will be announced in January,'" said Campbell. "It was a thrill. I'm not a great fan of flying to California, but under the circumstances I was delighted to make the trip. It was wonderful. A lot of my good friends were there as was my family. It was a marvelous thing."

Aikenite will be pointed toward the Grade 2 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland this spring, a race that he won in 2011, and the multiple graded stakes winner has responded well to his time off this winter, but appears ready to return to Todd Pletcher's barn for more intense training. The 5-year-old Florida-bred son of Yes It's True has been training with Legacy Stable's Ron Stevens and Brad Stauffer over the Aiken Training Track. After the Grade 1 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, Aikenite returned to Aiken, and was a bit edgy the first few days after his return, and found it a bit difficult to let down. However, Aikenite has settled in and is enjoying life, said Campbell.

"He's doing fine," said Campbell. "He's been galloping a mile and an-eighth. We're going to ship him to Florida on the (Feb.) 20th. I think by that time he'll be ready to breeze. We may breeze him once here, but we may wait until Todd gets him. Todd feels if he gets six works before April 14th, it will put him in good shape for the Commonwealth Stakes. There's no room for any hiccups, and Aikenite has put on a few pounds as he's prone to do, but they'll come off in the next two months."

Aikenite was jogged for a while but tired of that and wanted to do more, said Campbell.

"When it came time to gallop him, he went into that phase with great enthusiasm, and has been perfect ever since. We're hoping to have a real good year with him."

Raconteur is going to be pointed toward the 60th running of the $400,000 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Gotham Stakes over Aqueduct's inner track on March 3. The chestnut son of A.P. Indy has won both of his sophomore campaign starts.

"There's nothing more that we can do with him," said Campbell. "He's won his last two and he deserves a shot. He's a horse, who based on his breeding figures to get better as he gets older. I think we're seeing that. We know we are. He has a lot of poise and guts. He likes to settle in and come get the horses."

Big Screen broke his maiden on Dec. 31 at Gulfstream Park, and Liberty Bound was extremely impressive winning by 4 1/2-lengths at first asking in a 6-furlong race on Jan. 21 at Gulfstream Park.

Campbell will also be a presence at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale in late March and the Keeneland April Two-Year-Old Sale.

"I expect to buy two or three there (Florida), or two or three at Keeneland, and then I'll see where I am, and know what to do when I go to the (Fasig-Tipton) Midlantic Sale (in Timonium, Md.)."