Kentucky Oaks

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

With leading sophomore miss Eight Belles (Unbridled’s Song) headed for
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Oaks (G1) will
only see 11 fillies line up in the gate on Friday. With the top contender out,
the race has opened up quite a bit, with the likes of COUNTRY STAR (Empire
Maker), PROUD SPELL (Proud Citizen), BSHARPSONATA (Pulpit) and PURE CLAN (Pure
Prize) all in with a very good chance. However, three of those four runners have
already thrown in some very good efforts and, we feel, might have peaked earlier
this season. With that in mind, we’re tabbing a filly who seems to be rounding
into form at just the right time.

LITTLE BELLE (A.P. Indy) began her career last fall at Aqueduct and has shown
steady progression in each race since. The bay lass was a rallying fourth in her
maiden bow, breaking near the back and making up ground until she finished just
two lengths back of the winner while going six furlongs. Next up, she stretched
out to a mile and used the extra distance to run third after once again settling
near the rear of the field. Given two months off, she reappeared in her first
three-year-old effort over Aqueduct’s inner dirt on January 13. The miss settled
into fourth in the second flight as a runaway leader drew off by as much as 12
lengths on the backstretch. Coming wide around the turn with the eventual winner
just to her inside, she couldn’t quite keep up and had to settle for second that
day. It would be the last time she tasted defeat.

Staying at the same distance, Little Belle tackled a sloppy track in her
fourth career start and overcame much trouble to garner her first victory.
Breaking from the three hole under regular rider Rajiv Maragh, the
three-year-old lass moved up and over to the rail just in behind the early
runners. As they rounded the first turn, Maragh suddenly had to pull up on his
filly as the runner in front of them was forced to check off the heels of
another. He took Little Belle to the outside, but once again found
himself standing up and checking in between horses. The jockey maintained his
cool, though, keeping his mount in good position and sending her to the front
rounding the second turn. She was challenged in the stretch, but quickened her stride to pull off and post her initial victory by 3 1/2
lengths.

With that experience behind her, Little Belle once again stretched out, this
time to 1 1/16 miles for the Busher S. just two races back. She overtook the
even-money favorite, who had led throughout, entering the lane and was
confronted by another rival late before once again quickening to score the win
by a 2 3/4-length margin. Her
toughest task to date, though, came last out in the Ashland S. (G1) at
Keeneland. Using new tactics, the bay moved up to take the lead from her inside
post, setting the pace while pressed all the way by Bsharpsonata. Little Belle
was overtaken in the stretch, but the game filly battled back on the
inside to get up and score by a neck on the line, earning a career-best 99 BRIS
Speed rating.

Conditioned by the ever-dangerous Kiaran McLaughlin, Little Belle has been
given a month off to prepare for the Oaks and posted two nice works at
Keeneland, most recently getting four furlongs in a sharp :46 1/5. Whether she’s
tracking early or sets the pace, the bay filly appears ready, willing and able
to take on all challengers Friday with Maragh in the irons.

Pure Clan has run only twice this spring, but in each case earned stellar
BRIS Late Pace figures while rallying against a tough opponent. Undefeated from
four starts as a juvenile, she made her three-year-old debut in the Honeybee S.
(G3) on March 16, but unfortunately ran into Eight Belles and suffered her first
loss while easily second best. She hooked up with that rival once again in the
Fantasy S. (G2) and finished third, but was 11 lengths clear of the next filly on the wire. The Bob Holthus trainee will probably enjoy not having to
facing Eight Belles again on Friday, and posted a nice 102 BRIS Speed rating for
her Fantasy third. Pure Clan brings an added advantage into the Oaks in that she
and A TO THE CROFT (Menifee) are the only two with experience competing over
Churchill’s dirt. The chestnut lass captured her stakes debut in the Pocahontas
S. (G3) and then rounded out her juvenile campaign with a two-length score in
the Golden Rod S. (G2), both under the Twin Spires. She’ll be running late down
the stretch under Edgar Prado and is our choice to end the exacta.

Bsharpsonata had a four-race win streak snapped when second to Little Belle
in the Ashland last out and will be looking for revenge on Friday. The Tim
Salzman-trained bay is one of those versatile runners, winning on both turf and
dirt, and had no problem with Keeneland’s Polytrack most recently. Making her
sophomore bow a 1 1/2-length victory in the grassy Tropical Park Oaks on New Year’s
Day, she earned a nose score in the Forward Gal S. (G2) over a sloppy track at
Gulfstream Park next out, earning a 100 Speed figure for her effort. That
experience could come in handy on Friday as showers have been forecast to move
into the Louisville, Kentucky, area in the late afternoon. Bsharpsonata will be
looking to return to her winning ways in this spot against a contentious field,
and will keep regular jockey Eric Camacho in the pilot’s seat. We’ll tab her to round out the top three.

Trainer Larry Jones and jockey Gabriel Saez will be going for a rare
Oaks/Derby double with Proud Spell on Friday and Eight Belles in the Run for the
Roses. The pressure will be on Saturday for the pair in the first jewel of the
Triple Crown, especially if Proud Spell comes through in the Oaks. The bay miss
has yet to finish worse than third in her career, with that one coming most
recently in the Ashland. She handed champion Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie)
her first career loss when taking the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) two back, and is
another with sloppy track experience, running second to the aforementioned
Indian Blessing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on Monmouth’s sloppy,
sealed dirt. Proud Spell logged five furlongs at Churchill in a quick :58 2/5 to
get ready for Friday’s test, and will be tough to deny in the top three.

Country Star owns just one start this year and has never raced on dirt, but
still merits consideration for the gimmicks. The Bobby Frankel charge broke her
maiden in the Alcibiades S. (G1) on Keeneland’s Polytrack and rounded out her
two-year-old campaign with a victory in the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) on the
Cushion Track. She returned to Keeneland to make her only sophomore start to
date, running fifth in the Ashland after acting up in the gate, and definitely
needed that one prior to the Oaks. Rafael Bejarano has the call.

GOLDEN DOC A (Unusual Heat) is another West Coast-based runner who will be
trying for the lilies on Friday while making her dirt debut. The chestnut miss
was most recently seen running second in the Beaumont S. (G2) at Keeneland, but
earned the bullet designation when going five furlongs in :59 at Churchill last
Wednesday. She could come running late to pick up a check under Kent Desormeaux
for trainer Barry Abrams.

A to the Croft owns just one win, taking her maiden debut last July at Churchill. Since then, the Kenny McPeek filly has run
off-the-board only once, with that coming in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Among her placings is a second in Saratoga’s Spinaway S. (G1), and A to the
Croft could use her experience at Churchill to earn a share here with top jock
Calvin Borel aboard.

AWESOME CHIC (Awesome Again) was a dominant 4 1/2-length winner of the
Florida Oaks (G3) in her last start, and enters the Kentucky Oaks off a near
two-month layoff. Her numbers are comparable with others in here, but the
chestnut lass hasn’t exactly been burning up the track at Churchill in her
recent works. We’ll look for more down the road for this
talented miss. ELUSIVE LADY (Van Nistelrooy) might be a cut below the best in this race. Last year’s Tempted S.
(G3) heroine was third in the Comely S. (G2) most recently, and we’ll look
forward to seeing her compete in New York this summer.

Both RASIERRA (Kafwain) and ABSOLUTELY CINDY (Arch) have been working well at
Churchill, but might not be fast enough to keep up against these. We can’t
endorse the chances of either one.

TRACK BANDIT SELECTIONS:		1st-LITTLE BELLE
		2nd-PURE CLAN
		3rd-BSHARPSONATA