Kentucky Oaks update for June 26

Jun 25, 2020 Sara Dacus/TwinSpires.com

Gamine’s decisive romp in the Acorn (G1) at Belmont Park—blowing the field away by 18 3/4 lengths, breaking the stakes record and missing the track record by 0.34 seconds—set her on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks in flashy fashion. 

Perfect in three career starts, Gamine broke her maiden at Santa Anita, winning by 6 1/4 lengths, and finished a neck ahead of Speech at Oaklawn on the Arkansas Derby undercard. Handling the jump to graded stakes company with ease, Gamine trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and she was ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who described the filly as aggressive. Michael Lund Peterson purchased Gamine for $1.8 million.

The Acorn gave Gamine 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, but some future wagers have her ahead of board-topper Swiss Skydiver, who now has 310 points after her recent win in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2). Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) winner Bonny South ranks second with 100 points. 

Swiss Skydiver won the Santa Anita Oaks by four lengths over Speech, and she had a new rider, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. It was her third consecutive 100-point victory, following the Fantasy (G2) at Oaklawn and the Gulfstream Parks Oaks (G2), and connections made her a late nomination to the Triple Crown series, adding the possibility of competing in the Kentucky Derby instead of the Oaks. Trained by Kenny McPeek and owned by Peter Callahan, Swiss Skydiver was purchased for $35,000. Her record is 4-1-1 from seven starts.

Four Graces is another new entry on the leaderboard, earning 20 points for her victory in the Dogwood Stakes (G3) at Churchill, her first stakes race, bringing the filly’s record to three wins from four starts.

Upcoming races on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks include the Delaware Oaks (G3) on July 4 and the Indiana Oaks (G3) on July 8. These races will be followed by two offering 100 points to the winner: the Ashland (G1) at Keeneland on July 11 and the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga on July 18.