Champion British Idiom leads 116 Kentucky Oaks nominees

Champion 2-year-old filly British Idiom, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, tops the roster of 116 early nominations to the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks, North America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies that will be staged at Churchill Downs on Friday, May 1.

Owned in partnership by Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables, British Idiom finished second in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) on Feb. 15 to fellow Kentucky Oaks nominee Finite. British Idiom became one of the early Kentucky Oaks favorites following her commanding performance in the Oct. 4 Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland. The daughter of Flashback was able to close ground in the late stages of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies to defeat Donna Veloce by a neck.

Other top contenders that were nominated to the Kentucky Oaks include:

-- Winchell Thoroughbreds, Thomas J. Reiman, William Dickson and Deborah Easter’s Finite, who currently sits atop the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 70 points

-- Kaleem Shah, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Donna Veloce, who finished second behind the recently retired filly Bast in the Starlet (G1) at Los Alamitos

-- Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm and Dominic Savides’ commanding 9 ¼-length winner of the Las Virgenes (G2) Venetian Harbor.

Bob Baffert led all trainers with 13 horses nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, including Jane Wiltz and Sarah Kelly’s Las Virgenes runner-up Gingham and Don Alberto Stable’s impressive maiden winner Storie Blue.

Each of the 116 fillies nominated to the Oaks was made eligible by a $200 payment that was due Feb. 15.

Fillies not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks can be made eligible through a $1,500 late fee due April 11 or a $25,000 supplemental nomination due at the time of entry. The Oaks field is limited to 14 starters and up to four fillies can be designated as “also-eligible” to start.

Eligibility to compete is determined by points amassed during the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” point series.