Midnight Cry Euthanized
ATLANTIC OCEAN/SANTA CATARINA - Trainer Bob Baffert's pair for the
Kentucky Oaks galloped separately over the wet main track Saturday
morning.
Atlantic Ocean, who has won twice and been second in the Fair Grounds
Oaks this year, was out early. Santa Catarina, who displayed her good
form in winning an allowance race at Santa Anita last month, came out
after the break. The fillies are slated to have their final Oaks works
either Sunday or Monday.
Gary Stevens, who scored aboard Santa Catarina last out, gets the call
again, while David Flores will ride Atlantic Ocean for the fifth
straight time.
BIRD TOWN/HOLIDAY LADY - After galloping today, both Nick Zito trainees
will work Sunday, with Bird Town going out about 6:45 and Holiday Lady
after the break.
"Bird Town is the kind of filly that is always acting precocious," Zito
said of the Beaumont Stakes runner-up. "Holiday Lady [third in the
Ashland last out] is just starting to come around and catch her best
stride. Both are consistent."
Edgar Prado is going to ride Bird Town; Jose Santos is the jockey for
Holiday Lady.
Zito said he's happy to be at Churchill Downs for Derby week even though
he has no Derby horse. "We can have some fun," he said.
ELLOLUV - The Ashland Stakes winner and Santa Anita Oaks runner-up
worked six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 over a track labeled good, today under
jockey Robby Albarado.
"That's perfect," trainer Craig Dollase said. "It was just a maintenance
drill and she came out of it fine."
Dollase said fillies usually have to be trained a little differently
from colts, but Elloluv is an exception. "She's small, petite, but she
trains like a colt. She's aggressive."
Elloluv will gallop up to the race.
He also talked about the recent injury to, and retirement of, Composure,
Elloluv's arch-rival in Southern California. "Obviously, kudos to
Composure. It was a great rivalry. We beat her once, and she beat us
twice. I'd like to have beaten her a few more times, but we're in the
driver's seat now."
Trainer Bob Baffert is expected to enter Atlantic Ocean and Santa
Catarina, and Dollase said that could affect how Robby Albarado will
ride Elloluv, a front-runner.
"He'll probably send one of them," Dollase said of Baffert. "Robby will
have to be careful he doesn't get into a speed duel."
GO FOR GLAMOUR - The show horse in the Santa Anita Oaks and Fantasy
Stakes galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Andy Durnin.
Trainer Beau Greely is still in California, where he saddled one winner
Wednesday and one yesterday at Hollywood Park.
Durnin said the filly would work this week, but he wasn't sure when.
IN CASE OF WIND - The Bill Million trainee jogged a mile at Trackside
after working five furlongs Friday.
"She came off the track on her hind legs," Million said. "She's feeling
good." The filly will walk tomorrow and then gallop up to the race."
Calvin Borel will ride for Million, who noted, " we've pulled a
few upsets together."
The trainer said he has been pointing the filly to the Oaks for about
three months. "That's why we didn't run in the Ashland," he said. "We
wanted the best of her the first Friday of May. I think it's important
to come in with a fresh horse. That's what I tried to do."
Million walks all of his horses on Sundays, so tomorrow will be an easy
day for his Oaks horse.
ISLAND FASHION - Winner of the Winstar/Sunland Oaks last time out, the
Petionville filly galloped today under exercise rider Andy Durnin.
Trainer Nick Canani said Pat Valenzuela will ride Friday. "He
sure is riding great," Canani said.
Canani described his filly as "very versatile. She was on the lead
sprinting one day [in a maiden race] and came from 10 lengths back just
the other day [in the Winstar]. She's really nice. ... We expected her
to be really nice. She was really late to come around."
The filly is scheduled to work a half-mile Monday after the break.
LADY TAK - With owner Bill Heiligbrodt looking on, Kentucky Oaks hopeful
Lady Tak galloped a mile and a half before the renovation break under
exercise rider Lisa Orn.
Lady Tak, who will be ridden in the Oaks by Jerry Bailey, is
scheduled to work Monday.
Lady Tak will attempt to give her owner an Oaks Day double.
"I have a three-quarter brother to Swamp named Marsh, who is
going to run in the Crown Royal (American Turf)," Heiligbrodt said.
MIDNIGHT CRY - Barrister Hall Stable's Midnight Cry, winner of the
Forward Gal (GII) at Gulfstream Park and third in her most recent start
in the Stonerside Beaumont (GII) at Keeneland, suffered a fatal injury
during a workout Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Ken McPeek said Saturday's work was to have been her
final major prep for the Kentucky Oaks.
"It was her last work and we hadn't ruled her out on the Oaks,"
said McPeek. "She was doing extremely well. But she switched to her
left lead in the turn and fractured a sesamoid."
McPeek said exercise rider Hanne Jorgensen escaped injury when
Midnight Cry went down. The filly was euthanized on the track.
The incident provided another example of the highs and lows of
Thoroughbred racing. McPeek and his stable were energized just hours
before when their promising 3-year-old Wild and Wicked scored a 9
½-length victory on Friday on the closing day card at Keeneland. Then
came today's crushing disappointment.
"We're all very, very, very upset," said McPeek. "We have days
like yesterday when we uncork a monster and then you have a day like
today and this game sticks a knife in your heart."
Midnight Cry had a career record of 3-1-2 in eight races and
earnings of $213,152.
MY BOSTON GAL - Beaumont Stakes winner My Boston Gal paid a visit to the
starting gate and then jogged under exercise rider Tracey Wilkes after
the renovation break.
"I saw (Bobby) Frankel take Empire Maker to the gate the other
day, so I figured I should do it, too," trainer Carl Nafzger said with a
laugh.
Ironically, it was Frankel who denied Nafzger glory in the 1998
Oaks when Flute beat Banshee Breeze. Nafzger was asked how My Boston Gal
compared with Banshee Breeze, who went on to win an Eclipse Award in
1998 as champion 3-year-old filly.
"In terms of development, they are about the same," Nafzger
said. "They both have plenty of talent, but there still is plenty of
learning to do. Banshee Breeze got herself beat here. She got the lead
at the head of the stretch and then stopped running."
Pat Day has the call.
MY TRUSTY CAT - The Honeybee Stakes winner went out for her usual gallop
today and will work tomorrow at 6:15.
"You can barely see," trainer David Vance said, "but the track
gets chewed up if you wait until it's light, and after the break it's
too congested. I can see her through the stretch - that's all I need."
Vance said it is not 100 percent, carved-in-stone certain that
the filly - owned by Churchill Downs Board Chairman Carl Pollard - will
start in Friday's Kentucky Oaks even though she has been pointed toward
the race since last fall.
"After the work we'll talk about it," Vance said. "We'll see
what's going on. There are a lot of good fillies in the race."
Still, Vance was pleased with the way his charge has come up to
the race, following her victory in the Honeybee with a fourth in the
Fantasy Stakes.
"In the Honeybee, she just exploded past the leaders. She'd been
six or seven lengths back," he said. "In the Fantasy she broke sharp and
was stuck three wide most of the way. She still made two or three runs
at them."
Shane Sellers will be the jockey.
YELL - The Shug McGaughey trainee walked under tack at Belmont Park
today, two days after a five-furlong move in about 1:01 1/5. She was
hand-walked yesterday.
"She'll fly down on Wednesday, go to the track Thursday, and
probably school," assistant trainer Buzzy Tenney said. "She's had all of
her training."
She leaves New York in the afternoon and should arrive at Churchill by
early evening.
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