Daisy Devine, Plum Pretty put finishing touches on Oaks preparation

Daisy Devine, Plum Pretty put finishing touches on Oaks
preparation

Daisy Devine seeks to become the fifth Fair Grounds Oaks winner since 2004 to win the Kentucky Oaks (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) winner DAISY DEVINE (Kafwain) turned in her final work Monday morning in advance of Friday’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) when traveling three-eighths over a sloppy track in :35 4/5 at Churchill Downs. With Larry Melancon breaking her off at the quarter pole, Daisy Devine cruised down the stretch through an opening eighth of :12 1/5 and hit the finish line in :23 3/5. She galloped out a half-mile on the clubhouse turn in :49 1/5. “Perfect,” trainer Andrew McKeever said. “I told Larry to let her do what she wants to do. I wanted a little decent work because she’s going to have to run hard and she looked good. She really quickened up at the eighth pole when he asked her to, so it was perfect. And she came back happy.” Daisy Devine was outfitted in blinkers, as she has been for her past four starts, in which she is 4-3-1-0. “We were just looking to keep her focused and try to keep her sweet and happy until she runs,” McKeever said. A surface saturated with water from several days and nights of rain did not seem to affect Daisy Devine, who has only raced on fast tracks but now has two bullet moves over Churchill slop.

“It doesn’t seem to matter to her,” McKeever said. “As long as it’s a dirt
track she seems to like it, similar to the Fair Grounds, and we know she liked
that.”

Daisy Devine, who will be ridden by James Graham in the Oaks, likely will
make an appearance Wednesday during the Oaks-Derby training session.

A victory by Plum Pretty would give trainer Bob Baffert a second Kentucky Oaks win (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) “She trains herself and whatever she wants to do she can do,” McKeever said. “If she wants to go gallop, she can gallop; if she wants to jog, she can jog. Normally she prefers to get out there, even if it’s just to walk and stretch her legs.” The other Oaks candidate to work Monday was PLUM PRETTY (Medaglia d’Oro), who breezed a half-mile in :48 4/5. Working during the Oaks-Derby training period following the renovation break, the same time that stablemates Midnight Interlude (War Chant) and Mythical Power (Congaree) were on the track, she turned in fractions of :12 2/5, :24 4/5 and :36 4/5. She galloped out five furlongs in 1:01 3/5. “I was really happy with the way they went today,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “She likes the slop. She loves that stuff.” Plum Pretty worked over a wet surface on April 27, but Baffert said the conditions were better Monday. “The track was in pretty good shape today. We got enough rain,” Baffert said. “The last time I worked these horses it didn’t rain enough and the track was sort of drying out heavy and mucky. I was really happy with the way they worked today because they went over it well.”

Martin Garcia will ride the filly in the Kentucky Oaks.

In other Oaks news:

JOYFUL VICTORY (Tapit), who might start the favorite in the Oaks after
Monday’s defection of R Heat Lightning (Trippi), came out of her bullet work on
Sunday nicely and had a quiet morning on Monday.

The Honeybee S. (G3) and Fantasy S. (G2) winner turned in a five-furlong work
in :59 1/5 over the wet track Sunday under jockey Gabriel Saez.

“Everything is good,” trainer Larry Jones said. “She cleaned up good last
night. We’re happy with the way everything has turned out. Twenty-four hours
after the work, we’re in great shape. We’re happy.”

BOUQUET BOOTH (Flower Alley) galloped a mile and half under Alex Castanon
over a sloppy track after the renovation break, as did stablemate STREET STORM
(Stormy Atlantic) under Williams Cano.

Watching the activity were Dan Glick and Steve Gowers, two of the partners in
Right Time Racing, who are considering a Kentucky Oaks run with Street
Storm, who is also under consideration for Friday’s Edgewood S. on turf.

“She has improved so much and we are chewing on it,” Glick said of a possible
Oaks run from Street Storm. “I am going to call (racing secretary) Ben (Huffman)
this afternoon to see if we can get in.”

Street Storm has no graded stakes earnings and the Oaks is limited to 14
starters with the highest amount of graded earnings. Not counting Street Storm,
13 fillies were considered as probable for the races with two others possible,
all with graded earnings.

“This partnership has three horses and one of them is a two-year-old we just
bought,” Glick said of the group that has eight partners, all Louisvillians or
with Louisville ties. “It might be a once in a lifetime chance.”

“They’ve got two bullets, and both are doing good,” trainer Steve Margolis
said.”

HER SMILE (Include), who is owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, has her
participation in Friday’s Oaks still up for discussion.

“I’m going to talk to Bobby (Flay) today and we’ll come to a decision,” said
trainer Todd Pletcher, who also trains R Heat Lightning, the early Oaks favorite
who was withdrawn from consideration Monday. “I think Bobby wants to run; he
seems to be leaning that way. And I’ve seen nothing from her (Her Smile) to say
that we couldn’t.

“Of course, the Black-Eyed Susan (S. [G2] at Pimlico on May 20) is two weeks
later and one would think it would be an easier spot. So we’ll see.”

Should Her Smile run in the Kentucky Oaks, which appears to be assured of a
maximum field of 14 with or without her, Garrett Gomez would have the call.

St. John’s River was a strong second in her stakes debut in the Fair Grounds Oaks (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) Fair Grounds Oaks runner-up ST. JOHN’S RIVER (Include) galloped 1 3/4 miles with exercise rider Robert Wright aboard during the Oaks-Derby training session. “When we were galloping through the stretch a Derby horse worked inside of her and another Derby horse galloped past outside of her and she tugged me pretty hard that last eighth down the lane,” Wright said. Wright — who favorably compared St. John’s River’s current condition to a colt he galloped up to a second-place finish in the 1995 Kentucky Derby (G1), Tejano Run — said the filly has been showing signs of improvement since arriving at Churchill from Keeneland, where she stabled in April. Prior to that St. John’s River spent the winter at trainer Andy Leggio’s Fair Grounds base, where she started four times, topped by her run in the Fair Grounds Oaks.

“She’s been better here,” Wright said. “She likes the track, likes the mud.
She’s gotten feisty, she’s playing a little more this week. She’s a lot more
lively since the last work.

“I think she’s the most ready of any of the ones I’ve galloped up here, and
I’ve been on some pretty nice ones at Churchill Downs over the years. If the
leaders start to tire turning for home they’re in trouble.”

St. John’s River is a full sister to Panty Raid, winner in 2007 of the
American Oaks (G1) and the Spinster S. (G1).

Kathmanblu ran her rivals ragged under the Spires last fall in the Golden Rod (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) Following her final major work on Saturday, KATHMANBLU (Bluegrass Cat) returned to the track Monday for trainer Ken McPeek and galloped a mile and a half. “Nothing important, just some basic stuff,” McPeek said afterward. “She came back out of her work great and there’s nothing dramatic to report. She’s doing well and we’re looking forward to running her in the Oaks.” Kathmanblu will be reunited with jockey Julien Leparoux in the Oaks. Leparoux has ridden Kathmanblu to all four of her career stakes victories. Meanwhile, McPeek confirmed that Niji’s Grand Girl (Candy Ride [Arg]), who has been under consideration for the Oaks, will instead run in the Edgewood. Ashland S. (G1) winner LILACS AND LACE (Flower Alley) returned to the track Monday morning after walking the shedrow on Sunday. She breezed five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 on Saturday.

“The filly jogged seven-eighths of a mile and galloped seven-eighths of a
mile,” said Reynaldo Abreu, assistant to trainer John Terranova. “She skipped
over the track very nice, very nice. I’m pretty happy the way she’s handling
everything.”

Exercise rider Eliel DeJesus was aboard Lilacs N Lace, who’ll be ridden by
Javier Castellano in the Oaks.

HOLY HEAVENS (Holy Bull) did not go to the track Monday after she “two-minute
licked” a mile on Sunday.

“She kind of worked yesterday, so just relaxed today,” trainer Benard
Chatters said. “Everything’s good. We’re just trying to get ready for this big
dance.”

Instead of visiting the track, the filly walked the shedrow and enjoyed time
in her stall draped with a Thermotex blanket.

“It promotes blood flow to the muscles,” Chatters said. “I want her to feel
fresh and ready to go out there and do something. We’re just relaxing and
getting ready to go out there and run down Joyful Victory.”

SUAVE VOIR FAIRE (Suave) galloped up the Polytrack hill at the HighPointe
Training Center with regular exercise rider Frederick Carmouche aboard, trainer
Speedy Smithwick reported.

“From top to bottom the hill is about three-quarters of a mile,” Smithwick
said.

Plans still call for Suave Voir Fare to van to Churchill Downs late Tuesday
morning. The Suave filly will be housed in Barn 43, the Oaks barn.

“I’ll probably jog her around a little bit before we come over but I’ll have
to watch the weather and see what we can do,” Smithwick said.

Suave Voir Fare has not won a race since breaking her maiden at Turfway Park
in October but has enough graded earnings to make the field with third-place
finishes in the Golden Rod S. (G2) at Churchill and Bourbonette Oaks (G3) at
Turfway.

ZAZU (Tapit) stretched her legs at Hollywood Park Monday morning as her final
bit of exercise prior to catching a flight from California to Kentucky early on
Tuesday.

“We jogged her about a mile and a quarter,” trainer John Sadler said from his
Hollywood Park barn not long after the jog. “She’s got a plane at 4 a.m. (PDT)
tomorrow morning.”

Sadler will be flying tomorrow also, though he’ll be on entertainment mogul
Jerry Moss’ private jet.

“I think we’re leaving at some point in the early afternoon,” Sadler said.

Zazu, who has been first or second in six of her seven lifetime outings, will
be handled by Southern California riding star Joel Rosario when she goes
postward in Friday’s Oaks.