Joyful Victory draws rail, installed as morning-line Oaks favorite

Joyful Victory enjoyed a brief lull in the weather last week, but will likely face off conditions for the first time in the Oaks (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

Joyful Victory, runaway winner of Oaklawn Park’s Grade 2 Fantasy and
Grade 3 Honeybee in her past two starts, tops a stellar cast of
13 fillies entered in Friday’s 137th running of the $1 million Grade 1 Kentucky
Oaks at Churchill Downs. All fillies will carry 121 pounds.

Joyful Victory, who is trained by Larry Jones, comes into the Oaks
off a seven-length victory in the Fantasy and an 8 3/4-length score in
the Honeybee in her only 2011 starts. Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith, who
was aboard for those two triumphs, has the call Friday as he seeks his
first Kentucky Oaks victory. Jones will be seeking his second Oaks
victory to go along with the 2008 triumph by eventual champion
three-year-old filly Proud Spell.

Joyful Victory, fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last
fall in her lone Churchill appearance, drew the rail post and was made
the 5-2 morning line favorite by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike
Battaglia.

Co-second choices on the morning line at 4-1 are Zazu and
Kathmanblu.

Trained by John Sadler, Zazu is the only Grade 1 winner on dirt in
the Oaks field, having taken the Las Virgenes in February at Santa
Anita. Joel Rosario, who has been aboard Zazu in her past three starts,
has the Oaks riding assignment and the pair will break from post
position 6.

Kathmanblu drew off to an 8 1/2-length victory at Churchill Downs
last fall in the Grade 2 Golden Rod and is coming off a troubled
third-place finish in the Grade 1 Ashland over Keeneland’s Polytrack on
April 9. Julien Leparoux, aboard for the Golden Rod triumph and back in
the saddle Friday, will guided Kenny McPeek trainee from stall 4.

Daisy Devine is looking to add an Oaks win under the Twin Spires to her resume (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

Baffert will send out Plum Pretty, a 25-length winner of the
Sunland Park Oaks in her most recent start on March 27. Martin Garcia, who was
aboard for that victory at 1-20 odds, has the return call Friday. Listed at 5-1
on the morning line, Plum Pretty will break from post position 12.

Pletcher will saddle Her Smile, who was purchased privately by
celebrity chef Bobby Flay after a second-place run in the Grade 3 Comely at
Aqueduct on April 9. Garrett Gomez, who won the Oaks in 2007 on Rags to Riches,
has the mount on Her Smile, who will break from post position 7 and open at
morning line odds of 20-1.

Also seeking a second Oaks victory is Gabriel Saez, winner of the 2008
running aboard Proud Spell. He has the assignment on Summer Soiree,
who romped by 10 3/4 lengths in the Grade 2 Bourbonette Oaks and 9 3/4 lengths
against allowance rivals thus far this year. The duo will break from post
position 3 and are listed at 5-1 on the morning line.

The only other Grade 1 winner in the field besides Zazu is Lilacs and Lace, who captured the Ashland and will be ridden by Javier
Castellano. Lilacs and Lace, 12-1 on the morning line, will break from post
position 2.

The Oaks, run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, will be the centerpiece of a
12-race program beginning at 10:30 a.m. (EDT) that also features the Churchill
return of 2010 Kentucky Oaks winner Blind Luck in the
$300,000 Grade 2 La Troienne and the eighth running of the $300,000 Grade 3 Alysheba earlier on the card. The Oaks will go as the 11TH race Friday with a 5:45
p.m. post time.