'We'll see'; Taraz's race options remain open after two-turn win
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Taraz answered one question in the $150,000
Martha Washington Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn Park, but another obvious one remained unanswered the next morning regarding the unbeaten 3-year-old filly.
What’s next?
Brad Cox is simply not sure. Taraz, he said, could remain at Oaklawn or return to Fair Grounds. She may continue to run against fillies or challenge males.
“I’ve thought about it last night and haven’t really come up with a decision on what we’re going to do yet,” Cox, Taraz’s trainer, said before training hours Sunday morning at Oaklawn. “And race-wise? Same thing.”
Taraz, under regular rider Florent Geroux, was a comfortable 3 ¾-length front-running winner of the Martha Washington, the first of three local Kentucky Oaks points races. A towering daughter of Into Mischief, Taraz also won her two starts last year by a combined 18 ¾ lengths and had no trouble stretching out to two turns for the first time in her 2020 debut.
Last of four to leave, Taraz quickly took command going into the first turn and controlled the 1-mile race through splits of :47.50 for a half-mile and 1:12.44 for 6 furlongs. Taraz ($2.20) completed the distance over a fast track in 1:38.64 to earn a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 85.
A homebred for famed Juddmonte Farms, she was making her first start since an 11 ¼-length gate-to-wire victory in the $75,000 Letellier Memorial Stakes Dec. 21 at Fair Grounds.
“I thought she kind of got lost a little bit down the lane yesterday,” Cox said. “I really do think she got lost. She’s like, ‘OK, I’m going around the second turn. What do you want me to do here?’ She got something out of it, but it would have probably been better if there was somebody there kind of pushing her along a little bit. So, we’ll see. Obviously, we got the result that we wanted and she did it well enough. We’ll see.”
Cox said Taraz will be nominated to major Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby preps. The Martha Washington victory earned her 10 points toward eligibility for the Oaks.
“She came back good, so far,” Cox said. “We’re just walking her, obviously, but she appeared to check out of the race in great order last night and cooled out great and looked great. Everything looks good.”
Cox, who won the 2018 Kentucky Oaks with Monomoy Girl, is a native of Louisville, Ky., seeking his first Kentucky Derby starter.
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