Grade 3 victress Summer Applause has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line choice for the Grade 2, $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks on Saturday over five rivals. The 1 1/16-mile contest is the New Orleans track's final leg of Fair Grounds' sophomore filly series that also serves as a prep for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 4.
New York-born trainer Steve Margolis breezed Ballis's three-year-old filly Inny Minnie in 1:01 1/5 during training hours at Fair Grounds on Sunday and is now planning on running the Hard Spun filly in Saturday's Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks due to the late withdrawal of Avie's Sense.
Tall Oaks Farm's Avie's Sense, who was the early second choice for the Fair Grounds Oaks, was not entered Sunday for Fair Grounds' feminine fixture due to an unspecified setback, trainer Josie Carroll confirmed when reached by phone on her way to Florida.
Martha Washington Stakes winner Amie's Dini posted her first workout at Oaklawn since her game runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes on March 10 with an easy breeze Sunday.
Under jockey Jon Court, the daughter of Bandini was clocked going a half-mile in "49 3/5 for trainer Ron Moquett and owners Mike Walker and Lou Sutterfield.
"She's a happy girl right now," Moquett said. "This was just to let her know she's going in the right direction."
After showing some minor antics while being loaded into the starting gate for Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park, the Todd Pletcher-trained In Lingerie lulled her rivals to sleep en route to an easy six-length win in the one-mile Polytrack test. Sent to the front by John Velazquez, In Lingerie set tepid splits of :25 1/5, :49 and 1:13 4/5, and then opened up on the field in the final quarter-mile to finish up the distance in 1:38 1/5. She returned $3.60, $2.60 and $2.20 as the 4-5 favorite.
Trainer Michael Matz, who is preparing Union Rags to headline the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby on March 31, has a potential starter for the Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks on the same day in And Why Not.
"And Why Not may be running in the Oaks here or an allowance race the week after on the grass," Matz said. "But I definitely want to try and get her to the (Grade 1 Kentucky) Oaks. I think she's that type of filly and I think the distance would be perfect for her."
More Than Love could throw her hat into the Kentucky Oaks ring with a winning run in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park. The John Terranova pupil will be getting blinkers added to help her chances in the one-mile Polytrack contest, which will be her first non-turf race.
The online voting process to determine who will march in this year’s Survivors Parade presented by Kroger on Kentucky Oaks Day at Churchill Downs will close Friday at 5 p.m. ET. The 138 nominees who receive the most votes on www.KentuckyOaks.com will be invited to parade down the stretch of the historic Louisville racetrack’s main track before the 138th running of the $1 million Kentucky Oaks plus two (2) complimentary reserved seats to the May 4 event.
Princess Arabella heads a field of seven sophomore fillies in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks at Sunland Park on Sunday.
Trained by Bob Baffert, who saddled subsequent Kentucky Oaks victress Plum Pretty to a 25-length romp last year, Princess Arabella has posted impressive victories in both career starts and will be making her stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile test with regular rider Martin Garcia.
Grade 2-placed stakes winner Glinda the Good is the top challenger.
The perfect Kentucky Derby appetizer returns Thursday, May 3 as Churchill Downs stages its third annual Taste of Derby – a celebration of cuisine and racing on the eve of the Kentucky Oaks. Taste of Derby attendees will mingle with horse racing and Hollywood celebrities and savor exquisite cuisine and delectable wines from racing destinations across the country as nationally-renowned chefs serve samples of their regional specialties.
Anita Cauley's homebred On Fire Baby was sent off the 2-5 favorite in Saturday's Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park, but the gray miss had to work for the win as 3-1 second choice Amie's Dini refused to yield in the lane. It was only nearing the wire that On Fire Baby managed to pull away, posting a two-length victory under jockey Joe Johnson to return $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10 to her backers.
Despite an initial early challenge in Saturday's Grade 3, $147,000 Cicada Stakes, Agave Kiss easily ran away with the six-furlong contest to move her career record to a perfect four-for-four under jockey Ryan Curatolo. The Rudy Rodriguez trainee was made the 1-4 prohibitive favorite by the betting public and delivered when crossing under the wire three lengths the best.
There will be no change in the price of general admission tickets for the 138th runnings of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and Kentucky Oaks if tickets are purchased online and in advance of those events, but the ticket price will be higher for walk-up purchases at admission gates on those respective days.
Kentucky Oaks hopeful Dixie Strike tops Sunday's Grade 3, $150,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes on the turf at Gulfstream Park. The Mark Casse pupil raced exclusively over Woodbine's Polytrack as a juvenile, capping her 2011 campaign with a 5 1/2-length triumph in the Ontario Lassie. Trying turf for the first time in the February 4 Florida Oaks at Tampa, she got up in time for a last-gasp victory. Jose Lezcano will attempt to go two-for-two aboard Dixie Strike, who has drawn post 5.
On Fire Baby will return to the distaff ranks on Saturday when she faces seven rivals in Oaklawn Park's Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee Stakes going 1 1/16 miles. The dual Grade 2 heroine, who is nominated to both the Triple Crown races and Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, could use the race as a springboard to either the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby against the boys or stay with the fillies in the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes.
A strong mix of accomplished stars headed by major stakes performers Grace Hall and On Fire Baby and exciting newcomers led by the Bob Baffert-trained trio of Eden’s Moon, Princess Arabella and Mamma Kimbo comprise the list of 94 3-year-old fillies nominated to compete in the 138th running of the $1 million Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) on Friday, May 4 at Churchill Downs.
Agave Kiss will face just four rivals while making her graded debut in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Cicada Stakes going six furlongs on Aqueduct's inner dirt.
The unbeaten daughter of Lion Heart hasn't competed since taking the Ruthless Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths on January 14, and was originally scheduled to go in the February 11 Dearly Precious Stakes.
However, with an eye on Grade 1 races like the $300,000 Prioress and $500,000 Test at Saratoga in August, trainer Rudy Rodriguez decided to bypass the Dearly Precious and await the Cicada with Agave Kiss.
Churchill Downs Racetrack will be aglow in pink again for the 138th running of the Kentucky Oaks – America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies on Friday, May 4 and annual celebration of food, fashion and fun – as the springtime event welcomes a new beneficiary in Stand Up To Cancer (“SU2C”) to raise vital funds and awareness for cancer research.
Although fans of the $1 million Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) made the “All Others” (#24) betting interest the overall favorite in Churchill Downs’ 2012 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (“KOFW”), they recognized Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s opportunities to win America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies for a second consecutive year by placing his young stars Princess Arabella (#18) and Eden’s Moon (#9) among the individual favorites when the Oaks Future pool ended its three-d
Martha Washington Stakes winner Amie's Dini showed she's ready for a showdown in the Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee Stakes with fellow top filly On Fire Baby with a quick half-mile breeze Sunday at Oaklawn Park.
Under jockey Jon Court, the quick-footed daughter of Bandini sizzled through five furlongs in a bullet :59 2/5. As fast as the drill was, trainer Ron Moquett believes there's more in the tank.
Millionreasonswhy is slated to make her next start in the Grade 3 Comely at Aqueduct on April 7, trainer Ignacio Correas IV confirmed Sunday.
