Habibti, Others Work In Preperation For Oaks
April 24, 2002

BELLA BELLUCI - Trainer Neil Drysdale said Michael Tabor's Comely (GIII) winner galloped 1 ¼ miles under exercise rider Marcelino Olguin.

BELTERRA/TAKE THE CAKE - Trainer Carl Nafzger's Kentucky Oaks contenders each jogged a mile under exercise rider Tracey Wilkes. Both fillies breezed on Tuesday and assistant trainer Ian Wilkes said both were doing well.

HABIBTI - Before the break, trainer Bob Baffert's Kentucky Oaks hopeful Habibti worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 in company with Danthebluegrassman with Dana Barnes up.

"It was all right," Baffert said of the work. "This track, you need to catch it early, or right after the break, and today it was a little chewed up by the time she got out there."

MS BROOKSKI/CHAMROUSSE - Gary Tanaka's Ms Brookski, winner of the Bonnie Miss (GII), breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Wednesday over a "fast" track at Churchill Downs.

Assistant trainer Jennifer Brown was in the irons for trainer Niall O'Callaghan, who will saddle the recently purchased Ms Brookski for the first time in the Kentucky Oaks on May 3. O'Callaghan said the move was a bit busier than he had planned, but it worked out well.

"I was very pleased with it," he said. "Two horses broke off seven lengths in front of her and that wasn't expected. Then another horse hooked up with her at the half, so it was four horses. She was four-wide and she did it all very nicely. She doesn't seem to get upset about anything and I couldn't have planned it any better. It worked out good."

O'Callaghan is still learning about the filly and likes what he has seen so far.

"She looks as good as she could be in terms of health and color, but it's a little unknown area there," he said. "I certainly think she deserves to line up in the gate."

Arthur Hancock III and James Stone's Chamrousse galloped one mile under Brown. O'Callaghan said again that he is leaning toward Pimlico's Black-Eyed Susan for that filly.

YOU - Edmund Gann's You, winner of the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) and Las Virgenes (GI), worked a strong six furlongs over a "fast" track on Wednesday as she continued her preparations for the 128th Kentucky Oaks.

The daughter of You and I, trained by two-time Oaks winner Bobby Frankel, covered the distance in 1:13.20 under exercise rider Marco Ramirez. Churchill Downs clockers caught the filly in fractions on :24.20, :36 :48 and 1:00.40 and galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.80. Her work was the fastest of seven at the distance.

"From what I saw she looked pretty good," said Frankel. "She doesn't take much. She has been away six weeks, so I think she's right on right now. I'm happy with her. She seems like she handles the track very well."

Frankel was very confident about his Oaks chances with Flute a year ago and that confidence was validated by the filly's emphatic victory. He believes You will also run very well.

"She's going to have a chance - she tries hard," he said. "She's the biggest money-earner in the bunch. She's won three Grade I's."

Frankel anticipates that the filly's final major training move would be an "easy three-eighths" on Wednesday, May 1. "I think she's going to run good," he said. "This is a tougher field than it was last year, but I think she'll be in the right spot. She likes the track and Jerry (jockey Jerry Bailey) knows her really well now."