Awesome Feather Heads 117 KY Oaks Noms

Stronach Stable’s Awesome Feather, the unbeaten 2-year-old filly champion of 2010 and winner of the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), sits atop 117 fillies on the roster of early nominees to compete for the $1 million Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) at Churchill Downs May 6.

Awesome Feather was purchased by Stronach Stable for $2.3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale two days after her impressive 2 1/4-length victory in the Breeders’ Cup that locked up Eclipse Award championship honors for her former owner and breeder, Fred Brei’s Jacks or Better Farm, and trainer Stanley Gold. She was transferred to the stable of trainer Chad Brown, but a reported tendon injury sent her to the sidelines. 

The champion, who is unbeaten in six races with earnings of $1,495,746, is reported to be near a return to light training.

Should Awesome Feather make sufficient progress in the coming weeks to compete in the Oaks, she would bid to become the first 2-year-old filly champion to win the race since Mike Pegram’s Silverbulletday achieved that feat in 1999. Silverbulletday earned another championship at 3 for trainer Bob Baffert, and was enshrined in racing’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

The total of 117 nominations to Kentucky Oaks 137 is down from the 143 fillies nominated to its 2010 renewal won by eventual 3-year-old filly champion Blind Luck.

Other notable include E. Paul Robsham Stable R Heat Lightning, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and winner of Saratoga’s Spinaway (gr. I) and the recent Davona Dale (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park; Zayat Stables’ A Z Warrior, winner of the Frizette (gr. I) at 2; Jerry and Ann Moss’ Zazu, winner of the Las Virgenes (gr. I) at Santa Anita; Blinkers On Racing and partners’ Turbulent Descent, the winner of the Hollywood Starlet (gr. I) who suffered her only defeat in a runner-up finish in the Las Virgenes; Five D Thoroughbreds and Wind River Stables’ Kathmanblu, winner of the Golden Rod (gr. II) at Churchill Downs and the recent Rachel Alexandra (gr. III) at Fair Grounds, and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf (gr. IT); More Than Real, Santucket Stable’s winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf; the John C. Oxley-owned duo of Pocahontas (gr. II) winner Dancinginherdreams and Delightful Mary, the third-place finisher in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; Dawn and Ike Thrash’s Darley Del Mar Debutante (gr. I) winner Tell A Kelly; Hardacre Farm’s Pomeroys Pistol, winner of Gulfstream’s Forward Gal (gr. II); Eldon Farm Equine’s Just Louise, winner of Churchill Downs’ Debutante (GIII); Kaleem Shah’s Santa Ysabel (gr. III) winner May Day Rose; Linda Shanahan’s Golden Rod runner-up Missyoulikecrazy; Darley Stable’s It's Tricky, winner of Aqueduct’s recent Busher; and Beverly Anderson and Edward Seltzer’s Wyomia, winner of the Mazarine (gr. III) at Woodbine.

R Heat Lightning and More Than Real are among nine Kentucky Oaks nominees trained by two-time winner Todd Pletcher, who led trainers in total nominations. Kiaran McLaughlin and Baffert were next on that list with six nominated fillies, and they were followed by Ken McPeek and John Salder, each of whom nominated five fillies. Mark Casse, Bernard Chatters and Bob Hess Jr. were next with four nominees.