Churchill Downs: Kentucky Oaks points prep draws field of 9
Saturday’s 55th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs features an ultra-competitive group of nine 2-year-old fillies, including Ellis Park Debutante heroine Hot Beach and Kentucky Juvenile winner Youalmosthadme.
Run at one mile, the Pocahontas Stakes is the first race on the road to the Kentucky Oaks and will award qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale.
The Pocahontas Stakes will go as Race 7 of 11 with a post time of 3:50 p.m. EDT.
Hot Beach broke her maiden by two lengths in the Ellis Park Debutante under jockey Declan Cannon. The Brian Lynch-trained daughter of Omaha Beach defeated fellow Pocahontas rivals Riperton and Youalmosthadme one month ago in the seven-furlong race. Flavien Prat will pick up the mount on Hot Beach in the Pocahontas from post 9.
Chief among Hot Beach’s rivals in the Pocahontas is Youalmosthadme, who returns to Churchill Downs where she demolished her rivals in the Kentucky Juvenile by 8 3/4 lengths. Trained by Brad Cox, Youalmosthadme stumbled badly at the start of the Ellis Park Debutante but recovered to finish third as the heavy 4-5 favorite. Tyler Gaffalione, who was in the saddle for the Kentucky Juvenile, will have the call in the Pocahontas from post 7.
Another intriguing filly that entered the Pocahontas is V V’s Dream, who finished second to future Grade 1 winner Brightwork in the Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park. Trained by Kenny McPeek, V V’s Dream has been on the sidelines since her runner-up effort 10 weeks ago. Before the Debutante Stakes, V V’s Dream convincingly won her debut at Churchill Downs by 6 1/4 lengths. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will be aboard from post 6.
McPeek is not a stranger to winning the Pocahontas. The veteran conditioner previously won the race with Fun and Feisty in 2022, Daddys Lil Darling in 2016 and Dothraki Queen in 2015.
The Pocahontas Stakes is part of the Breeders’ Cup dirt dozen series, in which the top three finishers will be awarded partial entry fees toward the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies held on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.