Kentucky Oaks 2016 Notes - 5/3/16

CATHRYN SOPHIA – Cash is King’s Cathryn Sophia, the 9-2 co-second choice on the Kentucky Oaks morning line, jogged Tuesday morning at Churchill after the renovation break with Jerry Ortega in the saddle.

Later in the morning, after drawing post 12 in the Oaks, Servis told the media assembled for the draw that he was comfortable with the assignment.

“She is pretty tactical and she can put herself into the race pretty easy, so I was probably going to be comfortable with whatever we drew,” Servis said.

Earlier in the week when Servis was asked what Cathryn Sophia’s disposition around was like around the barn, a hearty laugh could be heard from the filly’s stall from her groom, Harry Harcourt.

“You didn’t just ask that,” Servis said with a guffaw. “She is vicious. She is nasty. She will kick you, she will bite you and she won’t let you catch her in the stall. She can be in the stall eating hay, and you go up to the webbing and look in, and she will come charging at you like a land shark. 

“Poor Harry, he’s got two or three marks from where she bit the heck out of him,” the trainer added. “My set-up when the babies are coming in is to make the grooms give up a horse, so they each get a baby. Everybody that got Cathryn Sophia gave her up because she was such a nightmare. She went through three grooms the first two months she was there. But Harry is great with her — so patient. They get along pretty good. They know each other’s boundaries.”

The filly, who suffered the first defeat of her career after finishing third in the Central Bank Ashland (GI), will gallop Wednesday and Thursday and walk the shedrow the morning of the Oaks. She will gate school Thursday, but will not be paddock schooled, which is something that worked out just fine for Servis when he won the 2004 Kentucky Derby with Smarty Jones.

CARINA MIA – Although she worked Monday, Three Chimneys Farm's Carina Mia did have an easy gallop Tuesday morning under exercise rider Penny Gardiner. When the filly's connections realized she would be on the also-eligible list for the Kentucky Oaks, they opted to enter her in the Eight Belles (GII) on the Oaks undercard.

DREAM DANCE – Stoneway Farm’s Dream Dance stood in the starting gate and galloped 1 3/8 miles under Joel Dominguez for trainer Neil Howard.

The filly went to the track at 7:30 for her morning exercise for Howard, who is looking for a big day Friday. Not only does he have Dream Dance for the Oaks, he also will send out Eagle in the $400,000 Alysheba (GII).

GO MAGGIE GO – Mike Tarp’s Go Maggie Go galloped 1 ½ miles at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning in preparation for Friday’s Kentucky Oaks (GI) for trainer Dale Romans.

The daughter of Ghostzapper is undefeated in two career starts, capturing her six-furlong debut by four lengths at Gulfstream Park March 13 before drawing off to a 2 ¼-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks (GII) April 12. Luis Saez was aboard for both impressive performances and has the return call on Go Maggie Go for the Oaks. Saez also has the return mount aboard Romans-trained Brody’s Cause for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (GI).

LAND OVER SEA – The Bellamy Road filly Land Over Sea had been going trackside at around 9 a.m. in her two previous Churchill Downs’ appearances, but Tuesday morning she was a relative early bird. The chestnut was on the big oval at 7:40 with Jonny Garcia in the tack and assistant trainer Jack Sisterson at her side aboard a pony.

In tandem, the filly and the pony jogged two miles on the outer rail going clockwise.  The 3-year-old gave the appearance of a horse who wanted to do much more, but Sisterson held steady to her and saved her energy for another day.

After the exercise, trainer Doug O’Neill – who had been watching trackside – was asked where he’d like to draw with his Oaks runner that morning.  He indicted he’d like to be positioned somewhere in the middle of the 14-horse lineup, but that wasn’t to be when the field was drawn and Land Over Sea was slotted for post 13.

LEWIS BAY – Alpha Delta Stables’ Lewis Bay, winner of the Gazelle Stakes (GII) at Aqueduct last month, came to the track under exercise rider Gian Cueva at about 9 a.m.

“She galloped well,” trainer Chad Brown said.

Later in the morning Lewis Bay drew post position three and was assigned morning-line odds of 8-1, making her the fifth choice in a full field of 14.

MO D’AMOUR/RACHEL’S VALENTINA – As she’d done the day before, Mo d’Amour came out to exercise with Amy Mullen aboard during the 8:30-8:45 special Derby/Oaks training session. Her Kentucky Derby stablemates – Destin and Outwork – joined her.

Mo d’Amour galloped a mile and a quarter in good fashion, then headed back to trainer Todd Pletcher’s Barn 40.          

Earlier Tuesday morning, Pletcher had sent the filly Rachel’s Valentina out with his second stable set at 6:30. She, too, had Mullen attached and they went strongly for a 10-furlong gallop around the Churchill oval. Rachel’s Valentina, a bay, is a daughter of high-line sire Bernardini and out of the champion mare Rachael Alexandra. 

On hand to take in Rachel’s Valentina’s exercise was her owner and breeder, Barbara Banke of Stonestreet Stables. It was her late husband, Jess Jackson, who purchased Rachael Alexandra privately early in her career, then raced her to remarkable heights, culminating with Horse of the Year honors in 2009.  Banke has kept the family farm rolling along and, of course, has very high hopes for Rachel’s Valentina, the second foal of her spectacular mare.

Others see good things for the filly, too. She drew post 11 and the saddle services of Hall of Famer John Velazquez for Friday’s Oaks. She also drew the role of race favorite at 7-2.

Stablemate Mo d’Amour drew post seven for the nine-furlong Oaks and has Joel Rosario as her rider. Her morning-line odds are 30-1.

MOKAT – JK Racing Stable’s Mokat stuck with her routine of jogging one mile and galloping 1 1/4 miles under Martin Ruiz during the 15-minute Oaks and Derby training session.

“I know the filly and to me she’s doing great,” trainer Richard Baltas said. “My rider said today was the best she ever went. She had a strong gallop today, a strong gallop yesterday, and she’s handled it no problem.”

Later in the morning Mokat drew post six for the Oaks, which was not as far outside as Baltas had hoped but still a position he could be satisfied with.

“She doesn’t want to be on the lead so I’d like the speed to be able to go and her sit there and follow them,” he said. “The middle is OK.”

Mokat will school in the paddock Wednesday, though Baltas has no reason to believe she won’t be fine with the surroundings.

PAOLA QUEEN – Grupo 7c Racing Stable’s Paola Queen schooled in the starting gate at Churchill Downs Tuesday on the morning after being sent to the track by trainer Gustavo Delgado for an open gallop Monday.

“It very important for her to see the starting gate here,” Delgado said.

Paola Queen, who debuted at Saratoga last summer with a troubled fifth-place finish, returned to action at Gulfstream Park in December. Following two in-the-money finishes, the daughter of Flatter broke through with a front-running maiden-breaker Feb. 14 before finishing second behind Go Maggie Go in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (GII) April 2.

ROYAL OBSESSION/TAXABLE/TERRA PROMESSA – Trainer Steve Asmussen's Kentucky Oaks entrants – Stonestreet Stables and Regis Farms LP's Royal Obsession, Winchell Thoroughbreds' Taxable and Stonestreet's Terra Promessa – walked in the barn Tuesday, the morning after each worked an easy half-mile.

Each came out of her work in good shape, Asmussen said.

The Kentucky Oaks has been an important race for Asmussen, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August. He won the Oaks with Summerly in 2005 and the champion Untapable in 2014. Last year, Asmussen finished second in the Oaks with 26-1 shot Shook Up.

"The opportunity in the Oaks and the Derby is very special every year, and we feel very proud of the condition of the horses coming in and feel good about the week,'' he said.

The jockey assignments for Asmussen's Oaks trio are Ricardo Santana Jr. on Terra Promessa, Florent Geroux on Royal Obsession and Mike Smith on Taxable.

Santana rode Terra Promessa in all five or her races. Geroux rode Royal Obsession once, in a victory in allowance-optional claiming company at Fair Grounds. Smith, a Hall of Famer, will be riding Taxable for the first time.

VENUS VALENTINE – Rosemont Farm's Venus Valentine galloped a mile and a half mile Monday under exercise ricer Maurice Sanchez for trainer Tom Amoss.

Amoss said he's not concerned about the filly's ability to handle the hoopla on Oaks Day.

“My biggest is not the crowd or her attitude going into the race,'' he said. "My concern is where can she put herself early in the race against what the pace is going to be. She has a way of coming from behind horses and sometimes taking herself out of the game by being too far back. That's why we have the change of equipment with blinkers on. Our goal is to keep her closer early on.''

WEEP NO MORE – Ashbrook Farm’s Central Bank Ashland (GI) winner Weep No More jogged a mile and galloped a mile under exercise rider Alex Gonzales. Weep No More accomplished her morning activity shortly after the track opened and was back in the barn by 6 o’clock.

Corey Lanerie will be in the saddle Friday on Weep No More, who will break from post position two, a spot that was not on the preferred list of Jack Bohannan, assistant to trainer Rusty Arnold. “I’d just like something in the middle,” Bohannan said.

Source: Churchill Downs