Abel Tasman rallies from last in the Kentucky Oaks

On a day that was anything but pretty at Churchill Downs, Abel Tasman could not have looked any better as the winner of the Kentucky Oaks. Rolling down the stretch, after being last of 14 early, the daughter of Quality Road came home a clear-cut, 1 1/4-length winner of the most prestigious race of the year restricted to three-year-old fillies.

Piloted by Hall of Fame rider, Mike Smith, and trained by Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, Abel Tasman was sent off as the 9-1 fourth choice, coming off a troubled trip, when finishing a distant second in the Santa Anita Oaks. Meanwhile, the filly that easily beat her that afternoon, Paradise Woods, was sent off as a big 6-5 favorite in her second stakes try.

As expected, the lightly raced heavy favorite soon forged to the early lead, but would find no easy advantage like she had last time. That's because Miss Sky Warrior, a winner of five in a row, was more than happy to go after Paradise Woods early. Together, the talented pair would throw down testing early fractions of :22.79 and :46.24, with the second choice, Farrell, in close pursuit.

Back at the tail end of the strung out Oaks field, Abel Tasman, was beginning to pick up horses heading into the far turn. While the top two fillies lengthened their advantage over Farrell, the pressure of their battle was just about ready to take its toll.

By the time the big field turned for home, the favorite was ready to succumb to the pressure on her outside. Miss Sky Warrior forged to the lead, but there were a host of closers ready to pounce. Sure enough, the conqueror of the Oaks favorite, had little left to hold off her pursuers. In the end, and because of the contentious early pace, it was all late runners at the finish, with Abel Tasman and Daddys Lil Darling being the best of the bunch.

Abel Tasman gained control of the race at the eighth pole, while Daddys Lil Darling was running her best on the far outside. The latter kept coming, but she never threatened the impressive winner. Final time for the nine furlongs over the sloppy main track at Churchill Downs was 1:51.62. Lockdown, a 39-1 longshot, came up the rail to edge another longshot, Vexatious for the show spot.

"Immediately after her second-place finish in the Santa Anita Oaks, we [Smith and Baffert] both realized she probably needed a slight blinker," explained Smith. "She broke OK that day, but was not 100 percent focused. She'd run for a sixteenth of a mile and then lose focus. The blinkers kept her from doing that today."

"I hit the front a little sooner than I wanted and I was afraid she'd pull herself up, but she stayed focused and galloped out even better," added Smith. "If you surround yourself with good people, good things happen. It's just like your mom always told you. I surround myself with Bob Baffert and other great trainers and owners, and this is the outcome."

As the fourth choice, Abel Tasman returned $20.40, $9.20, and $6.40 across the board. The $2 exacta with Daddys Lil Darling returned a tasty $203.00, but it was the trifecta and the superfecta, filled out by two long ones that really lit up the tote. The $2 triple was good for $5,727.60, while the $1 super came back at a massive $85,555.10.

Owned in partnership by China Horse Club and Clearsky Farms, Abel Tasman was trained by Simon Callaghan and ridden by Joe Talamo in her first five races, but was transferred to the barn of Baffert after a reported issue over racing in the wrong silks. Overall the bay filly has won four-of-seven, with a pair of seconds. A $65,000 yearling purchase, she raised her career earnings to $912,060, after today's big victory.

"We knew she was doing really well coming into this race," said Baffert. "We got a nice hot pace and it worked out. They were going pretty fast, but I have a lot of respect for Paradise Woods, and she was getting a lot of pressure. About the three-eighth's pole, he [Smith] started moving, and I thought we might have a shot. She's a beautiful filly to train. She shipped beautifully, and we knew we had a chance."