Kentucky Oaks Report

Plum Pretty romped by 25 lengths in the Sunland Park Oaks (Coady Photography)

Plum Pretty put on an impressive show when dominating the Sunland Park Oaks
by 25 lengths last Sunday. The Bob Baffert charge quickly moved to the front
from her 5 post after the gates opened, but found company in the form of Icelain
Diva (El Corredor). That one kept pace on the inside for the first quarter, but
dropped out of contention following the half.

Plum Pretty took command and began drawing off on the backside, extended her
margin rounding the turn, and was given a couple taps with the whip in the
stretch to keep her mind on the business at hand. The official margin was 25
lengths, but jockey Martin Garcia had already wrapped up on her before the wire,
allowing her to lope home under her own power.

The bay filly had never shown anything like that in her prior three runs,
finishing third in the Las Virgenes S. (G1) and Santa Ynez S. (G2) earlier in
the season. She earned a career-best 102 BRIS Speed rating for her sensational
score and put herself squarely in the running to be one of the favorites come
May 6.

Arienza is now two-for-two following her March 6 maiden debut win (Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography)

Though the Prima Donna S. was run at Oaklawn Park on March 26, the real story
came the next day when ARIENZA (Giant’s Causeway) moved her record to a perfect
two-for-two against allowance/optional claiming rivals.

Originally scheduled to make her second career start in the six-furlong Prima
Donna, the Daniel Peitz pupil was instead withdrawn and entered in the 10TH race
going a mile the next day. It was probably a much better spot for the filly,
distance-wise at least, and gave her experience running over a less-than-fast
surface.

Arienza shot to the front over the wet-fast ground and proceeded to set the
pace on the backstretch while running two wide. Jockey Gabriel Saez had a firm
hold on the sophomore, and she rated kindly while maintaining a comfortable
lead. The rest of the field abruptly caught up on the turn, and for a moment it
appeared Arienza would be left behind. That wasn’t the case, though, as Saez
shook the reins at his mount. Hitting another gear, she opened back up and was 2
1/2 lengths clear on the wire while never even shown the whip. Arienza continued
galloping out past the wire and will probably relish more ground next out.

While I’m still not sure she’ll be ready for the Oaks, Arienza is still an
exciting runner in the division and is likely to face her first major test in
the Fantasy S. (G2) on April 10. A good enough run there could propel this
daughter of Horse of the Year Azeri (Jade Hunter) straight into the Oaks.

As for the Prima Donna, GRAN LIONESS (Lion Heart) returned to the winner’s
circle following a 1 1/4-length victory. The Bret Calhoun runner was exiting a
nice third in the 8 1/2-furlong Rachel Alexandra S. (G3), but shortened up for
this one. As it turns out, the dark bay lass is bypassing the Oaks and will stay
at sprint distances in the future. Calhoun indicated even before the race that
shorter events at Keeneland and Churchill are in Gran Lioness’ immediate future.
The April 17 Beaumont S. (G2) going about seven furlongs should be right up her
alley.

Daisy Devine is expected to train up to the Kentucky Oaks (Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography)

Daisy Devine settled into a stalking position just off the leader’s flank on
the backstretch while jockey Chantal Sutherland was having a time with
Inglorious in the back. That filly suffered a slight bump right out of the gate
and was headstrong entering the first turn. As Daisy Devine continued coasting
along in second, Inglorious tugged her way in between horses and closer to the
front while still seeking more rein.

Daisy Devine ranged up to run in tandem with pacesetter Grandacious (Grand
Slam) rounding the turn and grabbed the advantage entering the lane. Inglorious
came up empty in the stretch, but Daisy Devine had enough left in reserve to
hold the late run of stakes-debuter St. John’s River (Include). Inglorious
appeared capable of taking third at least, but NIJI’S GRAND GIRL (Candy Ride
[Arg]) rallied to pass her favored rival right before the line.

The final numbers for the Fair Grounds Oaks weren’t all that impressive, but
are on par with many of the other preps this year. Daisy Devine earned a 95 BRIS
Speed figure for her first stakes win. The bay miss made her stakes bow in the
January 22 Silverbulletday S. and just missed by a neck in that contest. The
layoff appears to be key with her, and McKeever will now train his runner up to
the Kentucky Oaks off this one.

Summer Soiree stamped her Oaks ticket last Saturday (Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

Like Plum Pretty, Summer Soiree dominated her rivals in last Saturday’s
Bourbonette Oaks (G3) at Turfway Park. While normally I’d be inclined to dismiss
a Polytrack race, she did it much too easy to be discounted out of hand.

Summer Soiree broke on top under Saez and scooted to the front while angling
over a bit. She was under restraint while entering the backstretch, but had
settled by the time she hit the stretch. The bay miss went wide around the turn
and drew off to be 10 3/4 lengths clear on the line.

The Larry Jones trainee was awarded a 94 BRIS Speed rating for her first
stakes victory and is now headed to the Oaks, possibly straight from this race.
Summer Soiree entered the Bourbonette Oaks off a 55-day break, so the 41-day
lead up to the Kentucky Oaks should offer no problems for the filly.

Unfortunately for Jones, a lot of people saw Summer Soiree’s tour de force at
Turfway Park, including Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin. The organization made an
offer to the filly’s owners that they couldn’t refuse, and she’s now
scheduled to join trainer Graham Motion in Lexington, Kentucky, on Monday.

R Heat Lightning is the one to beat in the Gulfstream Oaks (Adam Coglianese Photography)

R Heat Lightning romped by 7 1/4 lengths in the one-mile Davona Dale S. (G2)
last out and will need to carry that an extra eighth-of-a-mile on Saturday. The
Todd Pletcher runner obviously needed her first race back when finishing fourth
in the Forward Gal S. (G2) on January 30, and appears ready to leap into the
favorite spot with a win here. Triumphant in the Spinaway S. (G1) and second in
the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) last season, R Heat Lightning has
already proven her class and should be able to silence any remaining naysayers
with a win in this spot.

One of those looking to derail R Heat Lightning’s chances is IT’S TRICKY
(Mineshaft). The bay miss has answered every question thus far, most recently
taking the Busher S. by eight lengths at Aqueduct. This will be the Kiaran
McLaughlin trainee’s first start outside of New York, and the travel will be a
good experience for the lightly raced miss. Her numbers are on par with R Heat
Lightning, and jockey Alan Garcia, aboard for her maiden victory, takes back the
mount.

The rest of the field owns a slight advantage in that they are all based in
Florida. SALARY DRIVE (Mizzen Mast) is exiting a victory in an off-the-turf
optional claiming test, while KINDERSLEY (Bernardini) just broke her maiden
going a mile by 4 1/4 lengths. BESO GRANDE (Mass Media) also posted a win while
going a mile, but against allowance rivals with ISLAND SCHOOL (A.P. Indy)
finishing two lengths back in third in the same race.

Fellow local TRIUNE (E Dubai) is an interesting prospect in that the James
Jerkens charge has spent her career so far competing on turf. She has been
working on the dirt at Palm Meadows Training Center, recently recording a nice
half-mile move in :48 2/5, and will be tough if she takes to the dirt at
Gulfstream. The bay lass already has winning experience over the distance, and
was last seen running fourth in the Herecomesthebride S. (G3) three weeks ago.