Take Charge Lady Has Final Oaks Work

BELLA BELLUCCI - Michael Tabor's daughter of French Deputy galloped 1 ¼- miles on April 26 under exercise rider Marcelino Olguin.

BELTERRA/TAKE THE CAKE - Trainer Carl Nafzger's pair of Kentucky Oaks contenders returned to the track on Friday (April 26) after they had walked under the shedrow on Thursday (April 25). Robert Manfuso's Belterra, winner of the Golden Rod (GII) galloped 1 ¼-miles under exercise rider Tracey Wilkes. Elizabeth Valando's Take The Cake galloped 1 ¼-miles under exercise rider Janet Ferguson.

HABIBTI - The Thoroughbred Corporation's Habibti jogged Friday (April 26) morning with exercise rider Mick Jenner up. Victor Espinoza will ride in the Oaks.

IMPERIAL GESTURE/TEMPERA - Godolphin Racing's two Kentucky Oaks hopefuls limited their Friday (April 26) morning activity to walking the shedrow. Frankie Dettori has the call on Imperial Gesture and David Flores on Tempera for the 128th Oaks.

MS BROOKSKI/CHAMROUSSE - Arthur Hancock III and James Stone's Chamrousse breezed four furlongs on April 26 over a "fast" track in :48.20 under exercise rider Samantha Whitehall. Trainer Niall O'Callaghan was happy with the move by the homebred daughter of Peaks and Valleys, but remains undecided about her prospects for the Kentucky Oaks. "She went very well," said O'Callaghan. "She has always been a filly that we thought very highly of. I'm still probably leaning toward running her in the Black-Eyed Susan (at Pimlico on May 17) instead of the Oaks, but she's doing very well." Gary Tanaka's Davona Dale (GII) winner Ms Brookski jogged a mile under assistant trainer Jennifer Brown. The daughter of Montbrook had worked on Wednesday (April 24) and walked under the shedrow on Thursday (April 25).

TAKE CHARGE LADY - Select Stable's probable Kentucky Oaks favorite Take Charge Lady put in her final work for the May 3 race by working five furlongs in :59.60 on April 26 under regular rider Tony D'Amico after the renovation break. "I got her in :35 2/5 for the three-eighths and a minute and a fifth," said trainer Kenny McPeek, who watched the work from the backside clockers' stand. "I wanted a nice, stiff breeze out of her. She has only worked twice between races. She seems to respond well to that. "This is her last breeze. She works a week out. I think she goes into the race fresher, with a lot more energy. She needed a nice, sharp breeze, because it will have been a month between races (from the April 6 Ashland)." McPeek, who also trains possible Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite Harlan's Holiday, was asked which race he had the most confidence in. "Probably her race," McPeek said. "It's tough. I think there are some nice fillies in there, but if you look at their past performances, she may tower above them numbers-wise, whereas he has got some horses that have run faster Beyer numbers as opposed to the ones he has run.

"If she runs between a 106 and 109, she is going to be very tough to beat."

YOU - Edmund Gann's You, winner of the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) and Las Virgenes (GI), walked under the shedrow at trainer Bobby Frankel's Churchill Downs barn for the second consecutive day following a six-furlong work on Wednesday (April 24). She is scheduled to return to the track on Saturday (April 27).