Kentucky Oaks Daily Activity Report – Monday, April 25, 2011
ARIENZA:
Robert and Lawana Low’s Arienza galloped early Monday
morning over a sloppy track under exercise rider Eva Jansson.
Trainer Danny Peitz also is considering the $100,000 Eight Belles (G3)
on May 6 for Arienza.
“We’re here,” Peitz said of the Oaks. “We’ll see how she trains and see how
everybody else is doing and see how things take shape.”
BOUQUET BOOTH/STREET STORM: Right Time Racing’s Bouquet Booth and
Street Storm both galloped after the morning renovation break for trainer
Steve Margolis.
Winner of the Delta Princess (G3) and Silverbulletday, Bouquet Booth is
scheduled to work Friday. Robby Albarado has the Oaks riding assignment.
Street Storm, most likely headed to the $100,000 Edgewood on grass on
May 6, is scheduled to work on the turf Thursday morning.
DAISY DEVINE: James Miller’s Daisy Devine, winner of three of five
career starts and most recently the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), galloped after the
renovation break under former jockey Larry Melancon for trainer Andrew McKeever.
“She’s going to work at 6 in the morning,” McKeever said. Jockey James Graham
is scheduled to handle the work.
DELIGHTFUL MARY: John Oxley’s Delightful Mary jogged two miles
under exercise rider Melanie Giddings before the renovation break.
HOLY HEAVENS: Trainer Benard Chatters opted to wait another day to work
Holy Heavens, owned by K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman.
“We are just going to gallop today and hope it gets better and work
tomorrow,” Chatters said prior to the filly’s morning exercise.
Chatters has lined up Kent Desormeaux to ride Holy Heavens in the Oaks and
Desormeaux is slated to be aboard for the work Tuesday. Desormeaux, seeking his
first victory in the Oaks, never has ridden Holy Heavens.
JOYFUL VICTORY: Fox Hill Farms’ Joyful Victory, who figures to vie
for favoritism in the $1 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) with R Heat Lightning and
Kathmanblu, worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 on her own over a sloppy track under
jockey Gabriel Saez.
Fractions for the work were :12.20, :24, :36, :48.60 and out six furlongs in
1:16.40.
“It was a good work on this track,” trainer Larry Jones said. “She was just
loping along. Gabe thought she went slower.”
Jones had planned to work Joyful Victory in company with graded-stakes winner
Winslow Homer, who is nominated to the $300,000 Alysheba (G3).
“With the track the way it was, I decided not to (work them together),” Jones
said. “I wanted to make sure they didn’t pressure themselves into doing too
much. They will do something serious Sunday.”
Mike Smith, who has been aboard Joyful Victory for her two victories in 2011,
has the mount in the Oaks.
KATHMANBLU: Five D Thoroughbreds and Wind River Stables’ Kathmanblu
jogged a mile and galloped a mile under exercise rider Will Aldana after
the renovation break.
Trained by Ken McPeek, Kathmanblu closed out her 2010 campaign with an 8
½-length victory in the Golden Rod (G2) here under Julien Leparoux, who has the
Oaks riding assignment.
Kathmanblu’s final work for the Oaks is scheduled to be Saturday.
PLUM PRETTY: Peachtree Stable’s Kentucky Oaks contender Plum Pretty
galloped over sloppy going under Peter Hutton during the training period for
Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks contenders.
Trainer Bob Baffert said Plum Pretty would work Tuesday morning during the
same 8:30 a.m. training period.
Plum Pretty finished third to Oaks 137 contender Zazu and multiple
Grade 1 winner Turbulent Descent in Santa Anita’s Las Virgenes (G1), then rolled
to a 25-length victory in the $200,000 Sunland Oaks at New Mexico’s Sunland
Park.
ST. JOHN’S RIVER: Dede McGehee’s St. John’s River galloped 1 7/8 miles after the renovation break under exercise rider Robert Wright.
Runner-up in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in her most recent start, St. John’s
River is scheduled to work Thursday with jockey Rosie Napravnik up according to
trainer Andy Leggio.
SUAVE VOIR FAIRE: Fleur De Lis Stable’s Suave Voir Faire was
luckier than most contenders for Kentucky Oaks 137 on Monday as she spent part
of Monday morning training under a covered facility at Highpointe Training
Center near LaGrange, Ky., a few miles east of Churchill Downs.
Trainer Daniel “Speedy” Smithwick said by telephone that Suave Voir Faire
jogged on the quarter-mile synthetic Polytrack surface in Highpointe’s indoor
jogging facility before she ventured outside for a gallop over the facility’s
Uphill Gallop, which also has a Polytrack surface.
Smithwick said the daughter of Suave, who finished third to fellow Oaks
contender Summer Soiree in the Bourbonette Oaks (G3) at Turfway Park, would
probably work on Friday at Highpointe. He has not secured a jockey for her
planned run in the Kentucky Oaks.