Saturday's Kentucky Oaks update: Favorite Bellafina 'on a good path'

The daughter of Quality Road has assembled a stellar record consisting of six victories in eight outings and a bankroll that now reads $1,068,000. All of her tallies have come in graded stakes, including three Grade 1s. 

California-based Flavien Prat has handled the Kentucky-bred bay in all of her starts and he’ll be the pilot again Friday for their mile and an eighth challenge.

“She’s been on a good path and we want to keep her going. We’re happy with where we are.”

As for others pointing toward Friday's race at Churchill Downs...

CHAMPAGNE ANYONE – Six Column Stables and Randy Bloch's Champagne Anyone galloped a mile under exercise rider Kara Lee for trainer Ian Wilkes.

Winner of the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) in her most recent start, Champagne Anyone may work Sunday, possibly with jockey Chris Landeros aboard.

CHOCOLATE KISSES – Debby Oxley’s Honeybee Stakes (G3) winner got an early start on getting down to business Saturday morning. The daughter of Candy Ride came out around 5:15 and turned in a half-mile breeze in :48 under jockey Julien Leparoux. 

Chocolate Kisses worked outside in company with Hoffa’s Union and posted splits of :12.40 and :24.40 with a gallop out to five furlongs in 1:01.

“I thought she worked super,” trainer Mark Casse said. “Julien was aboard; Julien is going to ride her in the Oaks. He said ‘she loves this place’ I said ‘Yeah, I told you that.’ I’ve always said horses with a little grass tendencies tend to do well at Churchill Downs. I stand by that.” 

Chocolate Kisses broke her maiden on the turf at Saratoga last summer and went on to finish fourth to fellow Kentucky Oaks contender Restless Rider in the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland. In the Honeybee, Chocolate Kisses rallied from well back to prevail by a length and she was most recently sixth in the Ashland Stakes GI) at Keeneland.

COOKIE DOUGH – Arindel’s Cookie Dough, who would need one defection from the roster of probable entrants to make the Kentucky Oaks field of 14, is training at Gulfstream Park.

Her final breeze for the Oaks was this past Monday with a five-furlong drill of :57.40 and out six furlongs in 1:1120 and seven-eighths in 1:25.60.

“She came out of her work excellent, and if she is fortunate enough to get into the starting field on entry day (Monday) she will ship to Churchill and arrive the following day,” trainer Stanley Gold said via text. :If there are no defections on entry day, enabling her to be in the starting 14, she will stay at Gulfstream and likely run in the Black-Eyed Susan (GII at Pimlico May 17).”

DUNBAR ROAD – Peter M. Brant’s filly Dunbar Road was on the Churchill track prepping for her possible run in the May 3 Kentucky Oaks (GI), working five furlongs in 1:01.60 under her regular exercise rider, Kriss Bon. 

“She breezed great, we worked her and everything went as planned,” trainer Chad Brown said. Working in the company of Alter Moon, Dunbar Road was timed in splits of :13, :25.20, :36.80 and :49.40. She galloped out the six furlongs in 1:14.80.

“Everything is perfect,” Brown added, “now all we can do is wait to see if there are any defections.”

Dunbar Road, who finished second as the favorite in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) in just her second career start, is 16th on the Kentucky Oaks points leaderboard, but only the top 14 will reach the starting gate when entries are taken Monday morning. Jose Ortiz is expected to ride her if she makes it into the Oaks.

FLOR DE LA MAR – Godolphin’s Flor de La Mar, runner-up to Bellafina in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1), is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs from her Southern California base this afternoon.

Trained by three-time Oaks winner Bob Baffert, Flor de La Mar will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

JAYWALK – Cash is King and Leonard Green’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2018 Jaywalk jogged with the pony Saturday morning at Keeneland.

Trained by John Servis, Jaywalk is scheduled to gallop tomorrow morning at Keeneland and leave for Churchill Downs around noon.

JELTRIN – ADR Racing Stable’s Jeltrin was scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs at 2 p.m. after vanning from Florida.

Trainer Alexis Delgado said the winner of the Davona Dale (GII) would be on the track Sunday morning.

LADY APPLE – Hall of Fame trainer Stave Asmussen’s Fantasy Stakes (G3) winner Lady Apple galloped about 1 ½ miles Saturday morning at Churchill Downs at 7:30.

Lady Apple is scheduled to breeze Sunday morning, according to Asmussen assistant Scott Blasi.

LIORA – Trainer Wayne Catalano said all was good with his Oaks contender Liora one day after she completed a five-furlong workout in :59.60. Liora had a walk day Saturday and will return to the track to jog Sunday.

MOTION EMOTION – Mark DeDomenico’s Motion Emotion walked the shedrow Saturday morning a day after working a half-mile in :49.80 under Tyler Baze.

“Everything is good here,” trainer Tom Van Berg said. “She will go back to the track tomorrow.”

Two-time Oaks-winning rider Mike Smith has the mount Friday.

OUT FOR A SPIN – Commonwealth Stables’ Ashland (G1) winner Out for a Spin galloped about 1 ½ miles Saturday morning with Emerson Chavez up for trainerDallas Stewart. 

 “All good,” Stewart said. “We’re ready to go.”

POSITIVE SPIRIT – Trainer Rodolphe Brisset had Michael J. Ryan’s filly Positive Spirit, who broke her maiden last November at Churchill Downs, on the Keeneland track for a gallop Saturday morning. 

“We won’t work her again, but she will have a special (two-mile) gallop tomorrow,” he texted from Keeneland. “We will ship Monday, if all goes well.”

Last Sunday, the daughter of Pioneerof the Nile, who is a half-sister to Derby winner Always Dreaming, put in a bullet workout with Brisset at Keeneland, going a half-mile in :47.20. Manny Franco is expected to ride her in the Oaks.

RESTLESS RIDER – Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm’s Ashland Stakes (GI) runner-up Restless Rider will get her final workout Monday with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., trainer Kenny McPeek said.  

“We decided to postpone her a couple of days,” McPeek said. “We’ll give her a nice little half-mile breeze then.”

Last year the filly, who is seventh on the Oaks points leaderboard, won the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland, then closed out her 2-year-old season with second-place finishes at Churchill Downs in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the Golden Rod (G2). 

SERENGETI EMPRESS – Owner Joel Politi’s filly gave trainer Tom Amoss exactly what he wanted to see as she continues to train. She was on the Churchill Downs track Saturday morning with her regular exercise rider, Francisco Herrera. 

“She went out during the Oaks/Derby training session and jogged a mile, then turned around and galloped another mile-and-a-half,” Amoss said. “The only variation tomorrow (Sunday) will be that we’ll go through the paddock and practice a little bit in there, then follow the same routine. A little later in the week, we’ll do some gate work with her.”

STREET BAND – Larry Jones, Cindy Jones and Ray Francis' Street Band galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Jorge Nava.

Street Band is scheduled to school in the paddock during tonight’s first race and then work Sunday morning with trainer Larry Jones slated to be in town.