Grade 1 winner R HEAT LIGHTNING (Trippi), the likely favorite for Friday’s $1 million Kentucky Oaks
Ramos galloped his eager filly around past the six-furlong pole with
Coming to the quarter-pole, Ramos had
“Some might say she’s headstrong,”
R Heat Lightning will enter the Oaks off two dominating victories at
|
Stablemate and Comely S. (G3) runner-up HER SMILE (Include) galloped 1 1/4
miles Saturday morning with exercise rider Kevin Willey aboard.
They went trackside at 8:30 a.m. following the renovation break when the track is
reserved for Oaks and Kentucky Derby (G1) runners. Her Smile entered the Oaks picture
after being bought by celebrity chef Bobby Flay following her Comely run.
“We’re going to work her tomorrow at
8:30 following the break,” Pletcher said. “We’ll see how she goes
and then I’ll talk to Bobby. If we decide to run, Garrett Gomez will ride her.”
Her Smile has finished off
the board just once in seven lifetime starts, finishing fourth in the grassy
Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, but followed that with a third in the Suncoast
S. and the Comely second.
LILACS AND LACE (Flower Alley) breezed five
“She just had an easy five-eighths. We just wanted to see how she got over the
Lilacs and Lace, who captured the Ashland S. (G1) over Keeneland’s Polytrack
“I think she handles it great,” Terranova asserted. “She’s a great moving filly and she gets over the
|
Javier Castellano, who rode the Kentucky-bred chestnut in the Ashland, has the
return mount for the Oaks.
With jockey Julien Leparoux up, Grade 2 victress KATHMANBLU (Bluegrass Cat)
“It was a nice and steady work,”
Also working for McPeek after the
Niji’s Grand Girl worked in company with the winning Sassy’s Dream (Flower
|
“I have not ruled it out,”
McPeek said of an Oaks run for Niji’s Grand Girl. The chestnut miss, as well as Sassy’s
Dream, are nominated to the $100,000 Edgewood S. to be run at 1 1/16 miles
over the turf on Oaks Day.
Bourbonette Oaks (G3) queen
“She went great. She went perfect,” trainer Graham Motion
“She just went a handy half-mile in :48 and change. I said to
Motion moved the work up a day because rain is in the forecast for Sunday.
|
“I wanted to do it on Sunday, but the weather was just too iffy,” he said. “I
thought it was crazy to wait and then have to breeze her on a sloppy track.
There was no sense in doing that.”
Grade 1 heroine
ZAZU (Tapit) turned in her final workout prior to her
start Friday in the Kentucky Oaks when she covered seven furlongs in
1:24 2/5 over Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track on Saturday morning.
“She went really well; we’re very
pleased,” trainer John Sadler said from his Hollywood barn. “Joel Rosario was
aboard for the move and he’ll ride her Friday.”
Zazu has been first or second in six
of her seven starts, including a tally in the Las Virgenes S. (G1) in February at
Santa Anita. She figures to be among the favorites for the nine-furlong Oaks.
“We’ll see how she comes out of this
work tomorrow,” Sadler said, “then train her a bit more after that. On
Tuesday, she’s on a plane to Louisville. I’m on a plane that day, too, but it’s
the (owner) Moss’ private jet. We’re all looking forward to the trip to Kentucky.”
In other Oaks news:
Canadian champion
DELIGHTFUL MARY (Limehouse) was withdrawn from Kentucky Oaks
consideration by her connections following a five-furlong work of 1:01 3/5 on
Friday.
“It was a good work yesterday, but we
wanted a tremendous work and we did not get that,” said Norman Casse, son of and
assistant to trainer Mark Casse. “I think she is going to go back to Woodbine
and regroup. There are no definite plans for her next race. We will let her tell
us when she is ready.”
Delightful Mary ran second in the Mazarine S. (Can-G3) at Woodbine before
shipping to Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), where she
wound up third, last year. So far during her sophomore season she’s captured the
O.B.S. Championship S. and run seventh of nine in the Ashland.
Fantasy S. (G2) runner-up
ARIENZA (Giant’s Causeway) walked the shedrow at
Barn 37 Saturday morning at Churchill, a day after working a bullet five furlongs in :59
2/5.
“She came out of the work real good and ate up, which is good to see when she
worked as fast as she did,” trainer Dan Peitz said.
Arienza is also nominated to the $100,000 Eight Belles S. (G3),
to be run at seven furlongs on the Kentucky Oaks undercard this coming Friday.
“After the Fantasy, we thought we might try to make it to the Oaks, but we have
crammed in a lot so fast,” Peitz said of Arienza, who did not make her racing
debut until March 6. “I am leaning toward the Eight Belles. (Co-owner) Mr.
(Robert) Low says she
doesn’t have to run there either and they are going to be here.
“If we are not 100 percent happy with her, we will wait for another spot. We
will let her tell us what to do and go from there.”
Grade 3 scorer
“She came out of the work fine and
Grade 2-placed stakes winner
“I’m going to send her a two-minute
|
Hall of Famer Desormeaux will be
aboard the chestnut filly for the first time in a race on Friday. The
Florida-bred has had five riders in her nine-race career thus far.
Fair Grounds Oaks runner-up
ST. JOHN’S RIVER (Include) was a shedrow walker again
Saturday morning, then returned to her stall in Barn 43 where she amused herself
with a tether ball hung above its doorway. She worked five furlongs at
Churchill Downs Thursday in 1:00 4/5 and had walked the day after.
The three-year-old filly is overseen by
veteran trainer Andy Leggio Jr., the Louisiana horseman who had good luck with a
sharp filly named Happy Ticket a few years back.
“St John’s River will go back to
galloping tomorrow,” Leggio said. “She’ll gallop up to the race. It’s all
downhill from here.”
PLUM PRETTY (Medaglia d’Oro) spent some time standing in the
“She’s very lightly raced, but her last race at Sunland was
Martin Garcia will ride the filly in
Fair Grounds Oaks star
|
“It’s all good and we’re doing
great,” said McKeever, making the sign of the cross and flashing a big Irish
smile. James Graham is scheduled to ride
Daisy Devine in the Oaks.
Fantasy heroine
“Everything went well,” Jones said. “I was on again. That’s
SUAVE VOIR FAIRE (Suave) jogged Saturday
“She’s very good this morning,”
|
Miguel Mena has the Oaks riding
assignment on Suave Voir Faire, who ran third in last fall’s Golden Rod (G2) in
her lone Churchill Downs appearance.