Daily Oaks Notes: April 26

• Email
• Print
• Tweet

(from Churchill Downs)

A TO THE CROFT – Koolmen Racing Stable’s A to the Croft tuned up for her expected engagement in Friday’s $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (GI) by working five furlongs in 1:00.20 over a muddy track Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.

New rider Calvin Borel was aboard for the work that was accomplished after the mid-morning renovation break. The time was the second fastest of 20 at the distance.

“She worked super,” trainer Ken McPeek said. “Calvin tucked her right down on the rail and she worked as well as she ever has.

“She tends to run to her level. She has run second in two Grade I’s, so she deserves a chance. We will swing high and hard one more time and give her that chance.”

Prior to the work, McPeek had toyed with the idea of running Magdalena Racing’s My Baby Baby in the Oaks.

“As well as A to the Croft worked, I think we will run her (My Baby Baby) in the (May 2) Edgewood,” McPeek said of the mile and a sixteenth turf race. “She worked well this morning (1:01.40 on a sloppy track before the break), but I think her game is going to be grass.”

AWESOME CHIC – Aurora Springs Stable’s Awesome Chic walked the shedrow at Barn 43 a day after working a half-mile in :51.20 under Robby Albarado.

Ariel Carrasquillo, her exercise rider, reported Awesome Chic came out of the work fine, ate up and would return to the track to jog in the morning.

Winner of the Florida Oaks (GIII) in her most recent start, Awesome Chic is trained by Rafael Ramos and will be ridden by Albarado in the Oaks.

BSHARPSONATA – Cloverleaf Farm’s Bsharpsonata, runner-up in the Ashland Stakes (GI) on April 5 in her most recent start, galloped two miles before the renovation break under Scott Miller.

Trainer Tim Salzman is scheduled to arrive in Louisville from his Maryland base on Wednesday. His father, John, has been overseeing the filly’s training in Kentucky.

Bsharpsonata was the first Oaks hopeful on the grounds, arriving at Churchill Downs on April 7.

“I was through over there (at Keeneland) and it made no sense to stay where all the action was,” John Salzman said. “She has done well here and if she gets beat, it won’t be the track’s fault.”

COUNTRY STAR – The Stonerside Stable filly put in her final serious exercise for Friday's Kentucky Oaks on Saturday morning at Keeneland, working over the Polytrack surface in 1:00.60 under Hall of Fame rider Angel Cordero Jr., who these days serves as an exercise rider deluxe to the stars. The Keeneland clockers were caught in a busy run during the homebred filly's prep and were not able to obtain splits, but they did note that the time was eighth best of 22 workers at that distance on the all-weather strip.

"Fine," was how Hall of Fame trainer Robert Frankel termed his charge's drill. "Cordero said it was fine, too."

Country Star, a daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, is a double Grade I stakes winner who will be reunited with rider Rafael Bejarano for the nine-furlong Oaks.    Frankel indicated he'd probably ship Country Star to Churchill Downs Thursday for the Oaks. It will be her first time at the Louisville oval.

EIGHT BELLES/PROUD SPELL – Trainer Larry Jones, who often wears a cowboy hat, instead donned an exercise rider's helmet Saturday morning as he put all of his 175 pounds to work on the backs of his two stellar fillies.

At 8:30, directly after the renovation break on the "muddy" Churchill Downs strip, Jones steered Brereton Jones' Proud Spell to the track for a mile and one-half gallop around the big oval. Twenty minutes later he rode his tall filly Eight Belles, who races in the silks of Fox Hill Farms, through the six-furlong gap for a similar 12-furlong gallop.

"They both went well, very well," the dual-purpose Jones man said afterward back at Barn 43. "That filly," he said nodding toward the double graded stakes winner Proud Spell, "was delighted to get off Polytrack and back on dirt, and the other filly was full of herself and doing real well."

Proud Spell finished third in the Grade I Ashland Stakes in her most recent start on April 5 at Keeneland. Eight Belles is currently on a four-race win streak, the last two graded stakes.

Both fillies have been nominated to both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, so they both have dual saddle towels. For Saturday's exercise, Jones had Proud Spell in her Kentucky Derby yellow towel, while his other miss wore her Kentucky Oaks pink.

"Just want to be sure those towels all get full use," the trainer said with a smile.

While speculation has had either or both fillies starting in the Kentucky Derby, Jones seemed to narrow the focus between  the Run for the Roses and the Kentucky Oaks for his charges.

"I'd say right now that Proud Spell is almost assuredly going in the Kentucky Oaks," he said. "Eight Belles is going to be entered in both races and – unless we draw a terrible post – I'd say she's going to run in the Derby. If we were to draw the 19 or 20 hole, then we wouldn't be interested in giving 19 colts that much of an edge. But otherwise, I'd say we're a Derby go. We just think it is one of those years where it might pay a filly to take a shot. This isn't like last year where you had three excellent colts (Street Sense  , Curlin and Hard Spun   -- the last of whom Jones trained) that you had to beat. There doesn't appear to be any standouts in this group, so this might be the time to go. I'm not saying they’re not a good bunch of colts; it's just that none of them yet has shown that they're really exceptional."

Jones has final works planned for both horses Sunday morning.

"Derby or Oaks it doesn't matter on the works," he said. "I train them the same way no matter which race they run in."

GOLDEN DOC A – The smallish chestnut filly with the big heart was a happy camper when she got to go trackside Saturday morning at 7:30 for a mile and a half gallop on the "muddy" Churchill Downs strip.

The feisty daughter of the red-hot California sire Unusual Heat had big exercise rider Stephen O'Callaghan aboard for her bit of leg stretching and her gallop drew praise from assistant trainer Geoff Dapp, on hand for regular trainer Barry Abrams.

"She handled it well," Dapp said. "Had her head between her knees and was just having fun out there."

Dapp noted that Abrams was in California running four horses on the Hollywood Park program today, but would return to Kentucky Tuesday. He also offered an opinion that the stable's star lassie "should love the added distance (nine furlongs) of the Oaks and she'll love that long Churchill stretch, too."

Golden Doc A, who'll be making her 13th start in the $500,000 headliner, has shown a real affinity for stretch running in her previous outings, which include 11 stakes races. She will be handled for the first time by Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux, who finished on top in the rider standings at the just-concluded Keeneland meeting.

HIGHEST CLASS – Briarwood Stable’s Highest Class walked the shedrow Saturday morning, a day after working five furlongs in 1:01.60.

Although no decision has been made on the filly’s Oaks participation, trainer Neil Howard said, “we are doubtful” to run.

HONEST PURSUIT – Overbrook Farm’s Honest Pursuit, a convincing maiden winner in her most recent start on April 4 at Keeneland, galloped before the renovation break under Kenny Bourque.

Trainer Dallas Stewart said Overbrook has not made a final decision on whether Honest Pursuit will run in the Oaks.

LITTLE BELLE – At Keeneland, Darley Stable’s Ashland Stakes (GI) winner, Little Belle, walked the shedrow the morning after she zipped a half-mile in :46.20, second fastest of 42 works at the distance. The A.P. Indy filly was doing “super” on Saturday morning, said Neal McLaughlin, who is the assistant to his brother, Kiaran.

McLaughlin said Little Belle will remain at Keeneland until the day before the Kentucky Oaks (GI). She’ll be on the track on Thursday morning and head to Churchill Downs later that day.

The McLaughlin barn at Keeneland has two other horses who will run at Churchill Downs in the coming week. Lear’s Princess, who won the 2007 Gazelle Stakes (GI) and has made two starts on turf this year, is scheduled to race Friday in the Louisville Stakes (GII). Duveen, who won last year’s Crown Royal American Turf Stakes (GIII) at Churchill, is to make his 2008 debut in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) on the Derby undercard. On Saturday at Keeneland, Duveen worked five furlongs over the Polytrack in :58.

PURE CLAN – Trainer Bob Holthus reported that Pure Clan came out of her Friday work of 1:00.60 for five furlongs in good order.

“She ate everything, walked good, was feeling good this morning and tried to kick the groom,” Holthus said. “She will go back to the track to jog in the morning.”

Pure Clan is part of a barn full of horses Holthus has housed in Barn 32. Unlike most of his fellow trainers with Oaks runners, Holthus can maintain a regular routine with more than one horse to train.

“It’s a lot better for me,” Holthus said. “One year I went to Saratoga with one or two horses and I don’t know how many books I read, and that was in the shedrow!”

Edgar Prado has the mount in the Oaks.

• Email
• Print
• Tweet