As was the case in last month’s Honeybee (G3), Amy’s Challenge appears the filly to catch in Friday’s $400,000 Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park over 1 1/16 miles. This time, connections hope she can hang on.
Making her first start around two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee March 10, Amy’s Challenge sped off to lead by as much as eight lengths while setting a pace of :23 1/5, :46, and 1:10 1/5. However, the daughter of Artie Schiller couldn’t sustain that pace and was worn down late by Cosmic Burst, who prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths.
“The first quarter was fine, but, obviously, you don’t win races long going :23, :23, :23. She got a little sharp,” trainer Mac Robertson said in late March. “She had been really sharp going into the race. I was afraid of that. It’s never good when you open up that far away. Hopefully, she’ll learn to relax a little.”
Forecasted rain and a potential wet track could aid Amy’s Challenge in that regard. Undefeated in three starts around one turn including a victory over males in the $80,000 Shakopee Juvenile at Canterbury and the $125,000 Dixie Belle at Oaklawn, Amy’s Challenge will be ridden Friday by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, substituting for the injured Jareth Loveberry.
The Honeybee was the second stakes win for Cosmic Burst, who previously took the $100,000 Trapeze at Remington Park before catching slop in the $125,000 Martha Washington, where she finished third. Sassy Sienna, second in the Martha Washington and third Honeybee, also returns for the Fantasy.
Expected to garner serious play in the Fantasy are Wonder Gadot and Harbor Lights. Winner of last fall’s Demoiselle (G2), Wonder Gadot placed in all three of Fair Grounds’ leading Kentucky Oaks (G1) preps, including a narrow third-place effort in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) last time. Harbor Lights, meanwhile, was most impressive in her season debut in a March 15 allowance at Oaklawn, scoring by 4 1/2 lengths for trainer Steve Asmussen following two modest tries in Kentucky last fall.
The multiple graded-placed Princess Warrior has been cross-entered in the Fantasy and in an allowance at Keeneland on Friday. Local allowance scorers Tahoe Dream, also trained by Robertson, and Bo Peep, fifth in the Honeybee, completes the lineup.
The Fantasy is the final prep in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series. Oaks qualifying points of 100-40-20-10 will be awarded to the top four finishers.
