17 Days and Counting: The Novel Nine
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Just two race went off this weekend with the potential to advance a legitimate Kentucky Oaks contender. The Grade 2 Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland was easily the premier three-year-old filly race of the weekend. The seven furlong race was won by five effortless length by Turbulent Descent but trainer Mike Puype has made it clear his charge will bypass the Kentucky Oaks in favor of the nation’s premier filly sprint races with her next goal being the Acorn Stakes (gr.1) at Belmont on June 11th. Grade 1 winner Tell A Kelly ran last of five in the Beaumont Stakes in her three-year-old debut, showing none of her usual late kick.
[Will Turbulent Descent still be #1 on HRN's 3-Year-Old Filly Rankings page after the Kentucky Oaks?]
The Instant Racing Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday served as the other legitimate Kentucky Oaks prep over the weekend with the Bob Baffert trained May Day Rose winning the 1 mile race in front running fashion over a solid field of fillies that included Dixie City, Hearts On Fire, Tapit Dancer and Scarlet Mist. The Grade 3 winning filly finished 4th behind Zazu, Turbulent Descent and Plum Pretty in the Las Virgenes Stakes (Gr.1) and 5th in the Santa Anita Oaks (Gr.1) behind Turbulent Descent and Zazu once again before winning the Instant Racing. She ran the mile in a solid time of 1:38.25 after relaxing well on the front end under jockey Martin Garcia. It’s unclear whether or not she will participate in the Kentucky Oaks but word should be out in a couple of days from Bob Baffert on what the plan for the filly will be.
1) Joyful Victory – The Fantasy Stakes (gr. 2) was her second straight romp after she blew the Honeybee Stakes (gr.3) field out of the water. She has not recorded any works since her April 10th Fantasy win but with trainer Larry Jones at the helm this filly is in excellent hands. Jones knows better than most how to get a filly prepared for the big spring classics.
2) R Heat Lightning – It’s getting harder and harder to keep her in the second spot, especially after her latest work. As if her two consecutive victories in the Davona Dale (gr.2) and Gulfstream Oaks (gr.2) aren’t enough to strike fear in the hearts of her opponents her stunning :47.50 four furlong work most certainly is. Her Saturday work easily earned her the bullet when she traveled the fastest of 94 horses running the distance.
3) Kathmanblu – She started a strong drive in the Ashland Stakes (gr.1) before flattening out and finishing third but still not too far behind the winner. Her hard-fought effort there will give her some strong conditioning that will serve her very well in the weeks leading up the Oaks. McPeek knows how good his filly is and you can bet he’ll have her ready to run to the best of her ability when she returns to Churchill Downs.
4) Zazu – She stepped things up considerably in her most recent work on April 17th, getting six furlongs in 1:13.20 at Hollywood Park. She improved markedly from her last six furlong work on April 9th when she went in 1:14.60. I’m not a fan of the long nine week break she’ll come into the Kentucky Oaks off, but with her solid juvenile form and two runs in Grade 1 races earlier in the year will have given her a good foundation to work off of.
5) Plum Pretty – She turned in a sparkling six furlong work at Santa Anita on April 15th, going the distance in 1:12.60, ranking as the second best work of the day after having posted a bullet four furlong work the week before. I love the distance progression of her races; 6 furlong, 7 furlongs, 1 mile and last out 1 1/16 miles in the Sunland Park Oaks (gr.3). There seems to be more and more upside to this filly, the only negative here is the possibility that she may have peaked a bit too early in her 25 length Sunland Park Oaks romp.
6) Wyomia – She could possibly skip the Kentucky Oaks and instead run in the Black Eyed Susan (gr.2) at Pimlico on Preakness day May 20th. In the Ashland jockey Freddie Lenclud lost his iron and at the 3/16ths pole and was unable to ride Wyomia the remainder of the race, meaning she did the running all on her own determination when she was closing in on Lilacs and Lace in the late stages of the Ashland (gr.1). I hope she is able to make the Kentucky Oaks in fine form because if she makes it she’ll be certain to make a strong run.
7) Summer Soiree – After posting two consecutive five furlong bullet works at Oaklawn Park she slowed things up a bit in her most recent move, going in 1:00.40 over Keeneland’s all weather track. The daughter of War Front demonstrated how talented she was with a 10 ¾ length win in the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks after winning an allowance race by 9 ¾ lengths. Her only flaw seems to be her lack of ratability and in a Kentucky Oaks with R Heat Lightning, Joyful Victory, Kathmanblu, Wyomia, Zazu and Plum Pretty just waiting to pounce in the stretch she’ll have to learn to ration her speed.
8) Arienza – Arienza was one of three late Kentucky Oaks nominee’s along with St. John’s River and Mardi Gras winner Street Storm. She ran into a monster when finishing second to Joyful Victory in the Fantasy Stakes (gr.2) on April 10th in only her third lifetime start. As a daughter of champions Giant’s Causeway and Azeri she has tremendous potential and has already exhibited exceptional ability since breaking her maiden first out in early March. She isn’t a definite for the Kentucky Oaks but if she enters her works will tell us a lot about her readiness to handle such a tough field.
9) Lilacs and Lace – I have to admit I’m still not crazy about this Flower Alley filly but you can’t argue with her record; three wins in her last four starts. Two starts back she finished fourth behind Summer Soiree in the Bourbonette off more than a two length gap between races. Her front-running Ashland Stakes win was impressive the way she continued to pull away from most of the field down the homestretch.
Honorable Trio:
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