Consolida brings a two-race win streak into Turfway Park’s $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks (G3), and the English-bred lass will try for the hat trick under jockey Drayden Van Dyke on Saturday.
The Bourbonette Oaks is part of the Championship portion of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, but only offers 20-8-4-2 points toward a starting berth in the May 4 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
The one-mile contest takes place over Turfway’s synthetic Polytrack and the 11 runners in the field have at least some experience over either an all-weather surface or turf.
Consolida has both, finishing fifth in a Newmarket turf contest in late September before earning her initial win on Newcastle’s synthetic in October. The Paddy Gallagher trainee shipped stateside and showed up February 10 at Golden Gate Fields to take the California Oaks by 1 1/4 lengths on the Tapeta. The dark bay daughter of Sir Percy will share the top weight of 124 pounds off that score.
Go Noni Go and Bet She Wins have been installed as the morning-line favorites at 5-2 and 3-1 odds, respectively.
Bet She Wins upset the Arlington-Washington Lassie at 13-1 last September by 9 1/2 lengths over Arlington Park’s Polytrack. That was the Chris Block trainee’s first time to cross under the wire in front as she was awarded the win in her maiden one race prior on the turf via disqualification. The gray daughter of First Samurai then shipped to Keeneland but was unable to transfer her form to the dirt when sixth in the Alcibiades Stakes (G1). Bet She Wins enters the Bourbonette Oaks under jockey Albin Jimenez off that effort.
“She was successful in her second start on grass, so I took a shot with her in the Arlington-Lassie,” Block explained. “She had been training over the Polytrack. There was nothing remarkable about her works, but I can’t take credit for that result (the 9 1/2-length Lassie win).
“Off her turf racing, I just figured it was a good spot. You never know if they like a surface until you run them on it. (In the Alcibiades), I believe it was the dirt. She didn’t have the best trip around there, either.
“She’s developed and filled out body-wise,” he added. “She needed to fill out to her frame, which was the reason for the rest. Her preparation for this has come up nicely. She’s as good as she’s going to get off a layoff, but she’s a much bigger, stronger filly than when she was a two-year-old.”
Go Noni Go is from the shedrow of Mike Maker and is looking to rebound off a fifth-placing in the Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3) over Gulfstream Park’s good turf on February 3. The Get Stormy filly was a six-length winner against allowance/optional claiming rivals one race prior, and keeps Tyler Gaffalione in the irons on Saturday.
In the Mood is two-for-two at Turfway, scoring a 1 1/2-length victory against allowance/optional claimers on December 23 and taking the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes on February 9 by a head. The Stephen Sandy charge will stretch out past 6 1/2 furlongs for the first time here but keeps jockey John McKee, aboard for those two wins, in the pilot’s seat.
“She came out of (the Cincinnati Trophy) and her workouts stronger,” Sandy said. “She’s taken to this surface nicely. John (McKee) fits her great. That combination has been exceptional. He fits her like a glove. This is her first time stretching out, so I’d like to see her midpack. She runs well on all surfaces.”
Homemade Salsa is the other filly toting 124 pounds on Saturday in the Bourbonette Oaks and is also trained by Maker. The bay miss broke her maiden at first asking on Gulfstream Park’s main track, was runner-up in the off-the-turf Our Dear Peggy Stakes at that same venue, then captured the Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes on the grass at Gulfstream Park West. The Two Step Salsa filly finished off-the-board in her next two stakes attempts, but rallied well off a wide trip in the Cincinnati Trophy last out to be third. Chris Landeros has the call.
Stablemate Queen’s Fate took two tries to break her maiden, doing so over Keeneland’s turf in October, then immediately posted a nose second in the Ontario Lassie Stakes on Woodbine’s Polytrack in December. The Artie Schiller filly made her sophomore bow in the Sweetest Chant, but faded to be last of nine that day. She returns here under Rafael Hernandez, who was aboard for the Ontario Lassie.
Mauk’s Tuff shown marked improvement when switching to Turfway’s Polytrack two back in late December. The Bill Mauk trainee led nearly all the way home against allowance/optional claiming rivals before finishing second to In the Mood, then returned to rally for second after bobbling at the start of an allowance on February 1. Alberto Pusac was aboard for that last one and holds the reins on the Overanalyze filly in this spot.
Hey Negrita broke her maiden on Turfway’s Polytrack by 4 3/4 lengths in December and enters the Bourbonette Oaks off a fifth-placing for trainer for Marshall Godsey Jr. against allowance/optional claimers on the turf at Fair Grounds February 24. Mitchell Murrill has the first-time call as the Langfuhr filly returns to Turfway.
Classy Music broke her maiden at Ellis Park last July and returns here off a five-month break for trainer Kenny McPeek. The Maclean’s Music filly closed out her juvenile campaign with a third-place run at Keeneland on October 12 in an allowance going seven furlongs. Alan Garcia will be aboard Saturday.
Child’s Play was claimed out of her 15-length maiden win on December 15 and has been second, third and fourth in three starts since. Conditioned by Gerald Brooks, the Freedom Child miss makes her first start outside of Laurel Park, where she also ran third on the turf last October, in this spot under Jack Gilligan.
Mo Flash began her career on the turf and Tapeta at Woodbine, the latter when a maiden came off the turf, but didn’t earn her first win until showing up on Aqueduct’s main track. The Mark Casse trainee was a neck scorer last out over a sloppy, sealed surface and will give the all-weather another try here with Gabriel Saez in the saddle.
