Two Road to the Kentucky Oaks events are on tap Saturday, and the unifying theme is Juddmonte bluebloods stepping up from debut maiden wins.
Chasten, a half-sister to champion Idiomatic, lines up in the $150,000 Silverbulletday S. at Fair Grounds. Earlier at Aqueduct, Ramify contests the $125,000 Busanda S. Both scoring races are worth points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis to the top five finishers.
Busanda S. – Race 8 at Aqueduct, 3:39 p.m. ET
The Chad Brown-trained Ramify overcame greenness to reel in My Sherrona going a one-turn mile here on Dec. 8. By Munnings out of a Tapit mare, she was capping a giant weekend for juveniles bred on the exact same pattern. The day before, Remsen (G2) hero Poster and Demoiselle (G2) star Muhimma advertised the Munnings/Tapit cross over this 1 1/8-mile distance. Ramify, a granddaughter of seven-time Grade 1 queen Sightseek, hails from the further family of Tates Creek, Special Duty, and 2018 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Expert Eye.
Wesley Ward’s Running Away lived up to her name in a front-running rout at Churchill Downs. The Stud TNT homebred thrived on the move to dirt after going close in her first two starts on turf. Running Away, a daughter of Gun Runner and granddaughter of 2005 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Summerly, promises to play catch-me-if-you-can again.
Todd Pletcher, who has won the Busanda a record five times, entered Gulfstream Park debut winner Ruth as well as veteran stakes performer Carmen’s Candy Jar. Ruth is beautifully bred herself as a full sister to Grade 2 victress Mopotism, the dam of current Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful Journalism. Carmen’s Candy Jar, most recently fifth in the Demoiselle, had placed in three straight New York-bred stakes. She has an alternative engagement in Friday’s sixth race.
Sharp Smile comes off a local maiden score in the slop for Brad Cox. As a Practical Joke half-sister to Grade 2 victor Airforce, she has a pedigree angle too. Bernieandtherose has dominated state-breds in her last pair, and the Domenick Schettino trainee will take a few simultaneous tests in her stakes, two-turn, and open-company debut.
Delaware shipper Beautiful Blome, who romped in the White Clay Creek S. two back, was up the track in the Tempted S. in her latest. Bless the Broken, a non-threatening seventh in the Demoiselle, is cross-entered to the Silverbulletday.
Silverbulletday S. – Race 9 at Fair Grounds, 5 p.m. ET
Chasten, by record-breaking sire Into Mischief, is not taking as much time to come to hand as half-sister Idiomatic. Still, Chasten was workmanlike when gradually asserting in a seven-furlong maiden at Churchill, and the Cox filly also figures to improve with distance and maturity. Their dam, Lockdown, captured the 2017 Busanda and placed in the Kentucky Oaks.
Simply Joking, on the other hand, was sharp enough to win the six-furlong Letellier Memorial S. in her career debut here Dec. 21. She was part of a stakes double for trainer Whit Beckman and sire Practical Joke, who were also responsible for Her Laugh in the Untapable S. over this same one-mile and 70-yard circuit. With Her Laugh skipping the Silverbulletday, Simply Joking stretches out as the barn’s top chance in this spot.
The respective second, third, and fifth from the Untapable – Golden Gamble, California Sunset, and Drexel Hill – are all re-entered here.
Although Golden Gamble was overturned as the 11-10 favorite in the Untapable, she did well to rally in an unfavorable set-up. A similar comment applies to the closing third California Sunset, a stablemate of Chasten’s from the Cox barn.
There was less encouragement to draw from Drexel Hill’s effort in her first start for Beckman. But she had shown ability previously on the Woodbine Tapeta, and the addition of blinkers could help in her second try in the new environment. Note that Drexel Hill is cross-entered to Sunday’s eighth race.
Golden Gamble is one of a trio for Ken McPeek in the Silverbulletday. The other two recently graduated going a route at Fair Grounds – Gowells Delight, who rolled from just off the pace by 5 1/2 lengths, and She’s a Swede, successful in an off-the-turf maiden.
Rounding out the field is the aforementioned Bless the Broken, who has the Busanda option.
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