Kentucky Oaks 2015 Notes (4-29-15)

ANGELA RENEE/ESKENFORMONEY – Conditioner Todd Pletcher’s Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) entrants Angela Renee and Eskenformoney were out of their barn and on to the track at 6 a.m. Wednesday for gallops as they continue to move forward toward the $1 million filly classic this Friday at Churchill Downs.

Angela Renee, who races in the silks of Siena Farm, was partnered by exercise rider Patti Krotenko for a mile and a quarter gallop around the oval. Up on StarLadies Racing’s Eskenformoney was Carlos Cano and that pair toured the track only once for their exercise.

Tuesday, the pair drew posts four (Eskenformoney) and six (Angela Renee) in the field of 14

scheduled for the nine-furlong Oaks.  Pletcher was asked what he thought of those draws:  “I’m good with it. Happy. No issues,” was his reply.

BIRDATTHEWIRE –Trainer Dale Romans was talking confidently about Forum Racing's Birdatthewire as he watched the filly gallop under exercise rider Faustino Aguilar. "I don't want to sound Bubby Delp-ish,'' Romans said, making a reference to the cocky trainer of Spectacular Bid. "I expect her to win.'' Romans also said, "If it wasn't for the points system, she'd be in the Derby with them.''

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount. "He's already ridden her twice, and he's 2-for-2 on her,'' Romans said.  "He is an up-and-comer. He loves the filly, and he has a lot of confidence in her.''

Birdatthewire is 6-1 in the Oaks morning line. "That would matter to me if it wasn't just one man's opinion,'' Romans said.

CONDO COMMANDO – Co-owner Michael Dubb knows what it’s like to have a highly regarded Oaks horse. He was a partner in Sis City, the 3-5 favorite, who was fourth in 2005. Three years ago, he owned a share of Grace Hall, who was third as the 5-2 favorite. On Friday, once-beaten Condo Commando will be among the favorites in the Oaks.

“I’m hoping that the third time is a charm,” Dubb said Wednesday after the filly galloped 1 3/8 miles under trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

Dubb, a metro New York builder and a member of the New York Racing Association’s Reorganization Board, is a partner with Bethlehem Stables and The Elkstone Group in Condo Commando. She was purchased for $72,000 in a group of about 20 yearlings in the $50,000 to $125,000 price range that the partners purchased at auction.

“By racing standards we’re not big budget people, with the hope that we’ll get one or two that work out to be superstars,” Dubb said. “We know that some won’t work out and the others will be just horses. We paid $72,000. When you shop in that range, sometimes you can’t check every box, as the big bloodstock agents say.”

Racing is full of stories about why decisions are made and Dubb said there was a reason why his group snagged the daughter of Tiz Wonderful out of Yearly Report.

“Tiz Wonderful wasn’t the most desirable stallion, but I had owned My Happy Face previously, who was very successful out of Tiz Wonderful, so I was partial,” he said. “On the dam side, she is out of a multiple Grade II winner. When you’re shopping at that level that’s what we have to do. We can’t have Bernardini out of a Grade I winner. It’s fine.”

Eleven months after they purchased Condo Commando at Keeneland, Dubb and his partners gambled by running her in a $75,000 maiden claiming race at Saratoga Race Course. She won by 12 lengths that day and then won the GI Spinaway by 13 1/4 lengths. She is the only runner in the Oaks field who has competed in a claiming race.

“When you’re at Saratoga you expect that in every maiden race you’re going to run into a Todd Pletcher,” Dubb said. “So the first time out for a horse you don’t want to throw it to the wolves. We knew the horse was good; we didn’t know how good she was. I will tell you that the walk from the box to paddock, making sure she wasn’t claimed, was the longest walk I can ever recall taking. We didn’t know how good she was.”

A shade over 57 seconds after the gates opened for the 5 1/2–furlong race, Dubb and his partners were pretty sure she wasn’t a common horse and feeling pretty lucky that no one had claimed her.

“My attitude is the first race isn’t the most important race,” he said. “Her fifth or sixth or seven, which might turn out to be the Kentucky Oaks, is more important. We knew she could run. We hadn’t really asked her to do all that much. Being by Tiz Wonderful, it’s not a question of we thought we could get away with it. We didn’t. We really just thought we were doing the right thing by the horse, not knowing how good she was.

Once she ran like that we were ‘Oh, my God, what do we have here?’ ”

FOREVER UNBRIDLED – Trainer Dallas Stewart is taking a positive attitude about the Oaks draw, which put Charles Fipke's Forever Unbridled in the No. 1 post position. "We've just got to leave it up to racing now,'' Stewart said. "You drew the 1-hole; you've got to run from the 1-hole. That's what the deal is.''

Mike Smith is replacing Brian Hernandez Jr. as Forever Unbridled's jockey. "He's a Hall of Fame rider,'' Stewart said of Smith. "I'm very excited about having him. After she ran in New Orleans, I felt like we would be coming here. I just felt like I wanted to get a top, top top rider. Not taking anything away from Brian. He did a great job. If I didn't get Mike, I was going to stick with Brian. So (Smith) accepted the call three weeks ago.''

Smith said: "She's been running really well, definitely deserves a shot in here. No one knows until we got over there and do it, but she deserves a shot, and I'm glad she drew in. Drew the 1-hole, which is OK going around two turns, especially when you're going to sit back a little bit. We'll see what happens.''

The filly galloped a mile-and-three-eighths Wednesday under exercise rider Emerson Chavez soon after the track opened.

I’M A CHATTERBOX/LOVELY MARIA – Grayson Farm’s Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner I’m a Chatterbox and Brereton Jones’ Ashland Stakes (GI) heroine Lovely Maria each galloped five furlongs and jogged five furlongs under trainer Larry Jones. By design, Jones gradually has shortened the distance of their gallops the past few days to get them fully charged for Friday’s Kentucky Oaks.

The Jones fillies have thrived at Churchill Downs this week, though Jones always finds things to worry about and work on. In the case of I’m a Chatterbox, the main concern continues to be whether she can perform as well over this surface – the only one she’s ever lost a race on (twice) – as she has at Fair Grounds and Keeneland. For Lovely Maria, the Majesticperfection filly has not always been cooperating with her rider.

“Both days (galloping this week) there’s been big improvement, even today from yesterday,” Jones said. “I thought Lovely Maria was much better. She’s gotten a lot more relaxed and used to the surroundings. She’s going a lot straighter and truer. They’re both doing good.”

Also Wednesday, both fillies visited the paddock and stood in the same stalls they will be saddled in Friday without incident.

INCLUDE BETTY – Brereton Jones and Timothy Thornton’s Fantasy Stakes (GIII) winner Include Betty continued her routine of coming to the track early in the morning for routine maintenance gallops.

“She’s doing fine,” said co-owner Thornton, who spent the morning delivering foals at Airdrie Stud, where he is the general manager. “I would’ve heard different by now if there was anything to tell.”

MONEY’SONCHARLOTTE – George and Lori Hall’s galloped a mile shortly after 7 o’clock Wednesday morning under exercise rider Jesus Gomez for trainer Kelly Breen.

Paco Lopez will have the mount on Money’soncharlotte, who arrived at Churchill Downs late Tuesday night from her home base at Monmouth Park.

OCEANWAVE –?Gary and Mary West’s Oceanwave prepared for a scheduled start in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks during a morning gallop Wednesday at Churchill Downs.

“She went a good mile and three-quarters and galloped a nice long mile,” trainer Wayne Catalano said.

Oceanwave will be seeking to return to winning form in the Oaks after finishing second in her past two starts while encountering traffic in both the Honeybee (GIII) and the Fantasy (GIII) at Oaklawn Park. The daughter of Harlan’s Holiday was unlucky not to be entering the Oaks of a victory in the Fantasy, said her trainer.

“She got in a little traffic around the corner. Rounding the turn, she got held up a little bit. They got the first jump on her when she probably should have gotten the first jump on them, and we came up a neck short,” Catalano said.

Rafael Bejarano is slated to ride Oceanwave for the first time in the Oaks.

PUCA – Donegal Racing’s Puca galloped a mile Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for a start in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks.  The daughter of Big Brown is winless in two starts this year after concluding her 2014 season with a troubled sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) at Santa Anita in November.  She closed well after stumbling at the start to finish fourth in the Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream in her seasonal debut before finishing second to front-running winner Condo Commando in the Gazelle (GII) at Aqueduct.

“At Gulfstream, a one-turn mile probably isn’t her cup of tea,” trainer Bill Mott said. “(At Aqueduct), we were laying second and third, but the winner didn’t come back to us. It was a pace-scenario sort of thing. I think two turns, mile and an eighth, will suit her. If she gets a little pace, that’ll help.”

SARAH SIS – Joe Ragsdale’s Sarah Sis galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Jesus Esquivel after the renovation break for trainer Ingrid Mason.

A $20,000 purchase from Ocala in 2014, Sarah Sis broke her maiden by 11 ¾ lengths at Arlington Park in her debut.

“We pretty much expected something like that. We bet,” Mason said with a laugh. “She didn’t have any fast works, but (jockey) Julio (Felix) said she was special and that she would win by a lot.”

Sarah Sis followed that victory with a runner-up finish in the Arlington-Washington Lassie and then took an allowance race at Keeneland by 4 ½ lengths in which she defeated Oaks rival Lovely Maria.

“This is a tough race and it will be her biggest test yet,” Mason said. “But she is doing well and is all dappled out.”

Sarah Sis will be ridden by Gary Stevens in the Oaks. It will be the first time aboard for the two-time Oaks winner.

“She is very tractable,” Stevens said. “I think she could have beaten (champion) Take Charge Brandi (in the Martha Washington) and could have been closer in the Fantasy (GIII). She is a good filly.”

SHOOK UP – Regis Racing’s Shook Up schooled in the starting gate before galloping under exercise rider Mike Callaham for trainer Steve Asmussen. Asmussen said that the filly's inside draw for the Oaks, post position No. 2, wasn't the motivation for taking the filly to gate.

"It's part of our routine.'' he said. "She was going to the gate today.''

Shook Up is a daughter of Tapit, a sire who has provided Asmussen several talented runners, including Untapable, who won the Oaks last year for him, and Tapiture. The trainer offered a simple explanation for his success with Tapit offspring.

"They're fast,'' Asmussen said. "There's no substitute for talent, no matter how you want to dress it up. It's a race.''

STELLAR WIND – Kentucky Oaks favorite Stellar Wind, owned by Hronis Racing, was on the track at 5:45 a.m. for a 1 1/2-mile gallop under Ricardo Peniche, longtime exercise rider for trainer John Sadler.

“[Ricardo] says she’s just floated over the track,” Sadler said. “She hasn’t had any problems handling it. We haven’t breezed over it but she trained really well at home before traveling. We’re very excited, obviously. We’re just waiting. We could run tomorrow or today. We’re ready.

“She’s been working really nicely. Victor (Espinoza) loved the work on Friday and so did I. Just the way she does it, she travels easily and she’s working nicely and doesn’t get tired or anything like that. We feel she’s ready to go.”

Sadler said Friday that Stellar Wind’s final Kentucky Oaks work – six furlongs in 1:12.80 – was nearly identical to her final Santa Anita Oaks (GI) breeze – six furlongs in 1:13.60 six days prior to the race. If the chestnut filly can duplicate her huge effort in that race, Sadler believes that would be enough to win the Kentucky Oaks.

“I would think so,” he said. “I hope so.”

On Thursday Sadler will travel to Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Ky., near Lexington, to visit the stallions, including his former charge Twirling Candy and Stellar Wind’s sire Curlin.

Source: Churchill Downs