Plum Pretty (inside) would not be denied her biggest win to date in the Kentucky Oaks (Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos)

Peachtree Stable's PLUM PRETTY (Medaglia d'Oro) settled just outside of the early pace in Friday's $1 million Kentucky Oaks (G1), took over in midstretch and just held off the game late rush of St. John's River (Include) to post a neck victory in the 1 1/8-mile event. Last seen dominating the Sunland Park Oaks by 25 lengths, the Bob Baffert trainee finished up in 1:49 2/5 on Churchill Downs' fast track to return $14.60, $7 and $4.60 under jockey Martin Garcia.

Summer Soiree (War Front) headed to the front when the gates opened, and Garcia sent Plum Pretty up to run just outside of the Bourbonette Oaks (G3) winner. Summer Soiree ticked off fractions of :23 3/5, :46 4/5 and 1:11 1/5, all the while chased by Plum Pretty with Lilacs and Lace (Flower Alley) tracking in third and Daisy Devine (Kafwain) running just to the outside of favored Joyful Victory (Tapit).

Summer Soiree couldn't sustain her momentum as the field entered the stretch, but Plum Pretty had no trouble in continuing on. She grabbed command and appeared a clear winner for a moment, but Rosie Napravnik was getting busy aboard St. John's River.

Plum Pretty earned her first graded victory in the Kentucky Oaks (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos)

Plum Pretty's win before an Oaks Day crowd of 110,122, the third largest in the race's history, now puts Baffert in position to become the third trainer to win the Kentucky Oaks and Derby (G1) in the same year and the first since Ben Jones accomplished the feat in 1952. Baffert will send out Midnight Interlude (War Chant) in Saturday's $2 million Kentucky Derby.

Plum Pretty was sent off the 6-1 fifth choice and keyed the $163 exacta with St. John's River, who came flying from the rear of the field after a bad break to give back $13.20 and $7.20 at 16-1.

"To me she felt like she was standing good, but she must not have been square because it was just an awkward step first out," Napravnik described St. John's River hitting the side of the gate at the start. "Not having that good break, I decided to angle over and see what we could do from there. We got such a perfect trip down on the rail. She's a very, very talented filly.

"Down the lane I'm thinking my first Grade 1, I'm thinking a million dollars, I'm thinking Kentucky Oaks, I'm thinking Girl Power in the Oaks. It was such a disappointing loss, but you can't take anything away from the filly. She ran so well.

"It's so exciting; I'm so happy to be here; I'm so lucky."

Plum Pretty (inside) just held a fast closing St. John's River in the Oaks (Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos)

"I would have liked to have been on the outside. It would have helped her because she is a big ol' filly. She likes to get her legs stretched out and I wasn't able to do that," said jockey Mike Smith, who was aboard Joyful Victory. "My hats off to the winner but I had a decent trip from the one hole. I tried to kick on and she did for a couple of jumps but she didn't stay on. It was tight early on though. I would have had to really fight and bang around to try and get out early but I thought I would waste too much energy doing that. I rode her with confidence, had her clear going for home but just didn't have enough horse."

Completing the order under the wire were Bouquet Booth (Flower Alley), Kathmanblu (Bluegrass Cat), Daisy Devine, Street Storm (Stormy Atlantic), Suave Voir Faire (Suave), Summer Soiree, Her Smile (Include), Lilacs and Lace and Holy Heavens (Holy Bull).

Plum Pretty entered the Sunland Park Oaks owning just one win, with that coming in her career bow in October. She opened her three-year-old season, and her stakes account, with a third-place run in the Santa Ynez S. (G2) at Santa Anita, then stretched out to a mile and filled that same spot in the Las Virgenes S. (G1) on February 5.