Chocolate Martini rockets to top of Oaks Leaderboard with Fair Grounds Oaks upset

Mar 24, 2018 Jennifer Caldwell/Brisnet.com

Double Doors Racing LLC’s Chocolate Martini made her stakes debut on Saturday in the $392,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) under jockey Mitchell Murrill and pulled off the 13-1 upset of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series points contest.

The Fair Grounds Oaks is the first of six series races offering 100-40-20-10 points to the respective top four finishers. Chocolate Martini just held off the late-running Eskimo Kisses by a head to secure the winner’s share, which catapulted her into number one on the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard.

Classy Act was sent off the even-money favorite in the 1 1/16-mile contest thanks to a runner-up performance last out in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) over the track. That dark bay miss led the way in the Fair Grounds Oaks while tracked by 28-1 longshot She’s a Julie. Meanwhile, Chocolate Martini and Eskimo Kisses were bringing up the rear of the field.

Chocolate Martini began picking off rivals nearing the final bend and was five wide on the turf. The bay daughter of Broken Vow grabbed command as Classy Act faded in the stretch, but had to dig deep to hold off the fast-closing Eskimo Kisses, who took home 40 points for finishing second in her stakes debut.

Wonder Gadot, another three parts of a length back in third, earned 20 points, good for seventh with 44 total points on the Oaks Leaderboard one spot above Eskimo Kisses. The Medaglia d’Oro filly already boasted 24 points from a win in the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct to open her sophomore campaign and placings in the Silverbulletday Stakes and Rachel Alexandra.

Classy Act finished another half-length behind in fourth, and her 10 awarded points boosted her total to 30, good for 10th on the Oaks Leaderboard.

She’s a Julie, Saguaro Row and America’s Tale completed the order of finish for the Fair Grounds Oaks. Patrona Margarita and Testing One Two, who captured the Crescent City Oaks earlier on the program, were both scratched.

Chocolate Martini was making just her second start for new trainer Tom Amoss, having been claimed out of a turf contest at Fair Grounds on February 2 from the shedrow of Bret Calhoun. For that conditioner the bay lass broke her maiden in her fourth start by 6 1/4 lengths at the New Orleans venue against maiden claiming rivals on January 12.

Chocolate Martini entered this spot off a neck score against allowance/optional claiming rivals on February 18 at Fair Grounds, and improved her career record to 7-3-0-1, $278,636. Bred in Kentucky by Savino A. Capilupi, she is out of the dual stakes-placed Successful Appeal mare Nicksappealinglady and counts stakes heroine Nicky’s Brown Miss as a half-sister. Her second dam, That’s My Double, is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Ladies Din.