Looking to challenge Astrid will be Iowa Oaks winner Unbridled Elaine, who has won four of six career starts. The David Vance-trainee won the Iowa Oaks by nearly nine lengths as the 3-10 favorite after finishing fourth in the grade I Acorn at Belmont last month. Another filly to beat in the Oaks will be Indy Glory from the John Kimmel barn. The daughter of A.P. Indy has yet to win a stakes, but was second to Two Item Limit in the Black-Eyed Susan (gr. II) at Pimlico last May. Last out, she ran sixth in the grade I Mother Goose at Belmont June 30. Other possible starters for the Oaks include: Southern Fiction and Quick Blue. Kain's Prize is a probable starter.
With a $250,000 purse and a grade II rating, Saturday's Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks at Monmouth Park has attracted some accomplished fillies, but Astrid is hoping her home court advantage will net a win.Campaigned by Bobby and Leslie Hurley's Devil Eleven Stable, Astrid broke her maiden at Monmouth last July 27, so the Oaks comes a year and a day after the filly's first start. In her only other start as a 2-year-old, Astrid ran fifth in the Sorority Stakes (gr. III). She raced once during the winter and turned in her worst showing ever, finishing sixth in an allowance sprint at Gulfstream. Astrid returned home to Monmouth to win a June allowance sprint followed by the Serena's Song in July.
