Kentucky Oaks 2024: Dollars may decide last of 14 invitations
It looks like the last of the 14 places in the starting gate for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks may be determined by dollars.
Five fillies were tied with 50 points after the final qualifying preps were run Saturday at Aqueduct and Santa Anita. Unless there are dropouts, there is room for only two of them.
Despite her seventh-place finish in the Fantasy (G2) last Saturday at Oaklawn, Lemon Muffin emerged with a career total of $228,750 in non-restricted stakes earnings. That money is the first tiebreaker in the Oaks standings. Into Champagne, who finished third last month in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), has $124,360. They have clinched their invitations to the run for the lilies.
Where’s My Ring wins Gazelle to get in Kentucky Oaks.
Ways and Means, who finished second ahead of Into Champagne in the Gulfstream Park Oaks, has $108,000, so she came up $14,360 short in the tiebreaker and needs someone in the top 14 to opt out of the May 3 race at Churchill Downs.
Manama Gold would be next on the stand-by list, but the UAE Oaks (G3) winner has not been nominated for the Kentucky Oaks. Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad, who owns the Dubai-based filly, has until Wednesday to change that with a $1,500 payment.
Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) runner-up Our Pretty Woman is the last of the fillies carrying 50 points. V V’s Dream and Intricate, who finished third and fifth in the Fair Grounds Oaks, are 17th and 18th in the standings and would fill out the four also-eligibles if everything stands pat before entries are taken April 27.
Where’s My Ring won Saturday’s Gazelle (G3) at Aqueduct to get what turned out to be the last of the win-and-you’re-in berths for the Kentucky Oaks. Nothing Like You, who won the Santa Anita Oaks (G2), would have earned that distinction, but she is ineligible to race in Louisville because of trainer Bob Baffert’s indefinite suspension by Churchill Downs.
| Kentucky Oaks 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Already clinched | Rank | Pts. | **Earnings | Friday & Saturday results |
| Tarifa | 1st | 150 | $420,000 | |
| Where’s My Ring | 2nd | 125 | $162,000 | 1st Gazelle (G3), AQU |
| Power Squeeze | 3rd | 120 | $300,870 | |
| Leslie’s Rose | 4th | 115 | $377,850 | 1st Ashland (G1), KEE |
| Thorpedo Anna | 5th | 105 | $471,800 | |
| Just F Y I | 6th | 90 | $1,375,500 | 2nd Ashland (G1), KEE |
| Gin Gin | 7th | 66 | $154,708 | 3rd Gazelle (G3), AQU |
| Jody’s Pride | 8th | 65 | $540,000 | 7th Ashland (G1), KEE |
| Fiona’s Magic | 9th | 60 | $166,010 | |
| Regulatory Risk | 10th | 55 | $48,000 | 2nd Gazelle (G3), AQU |
| Tapit Jenallie | 11th | 54 | $216,725 | |
| Everland | 12th | 54 | $185,000 | |
| Lemon Muffin | 13th | 50 | $228,750 | |
| Into Champagne | 14th | 50 | $124,360 | |
| Waiting for dropouts | Rank | Pts. | **Earnings | Friday & Saturday results |
| Ways and Means | 15th | 50 | $108,000 | |
| Manama Gold | * | 50 | $90,000 | |
| Our Pretty Woman | 16th | 50 | $80,000 | |
| V V’s Dream | 17th | 48 | $410,105 | |
| Intricate | 18th | 45 | $308,455 | |
| Alpine Princess | 19th | 35 | $108,500 | |
| Kopion | 20th | 35 | $98,000 | 4th Santa Anita Oaks (G2), SA |
| Candied | 21st | 34 | $566,925 | 4th Ashland (G1), KEE |
| Recharge | 22nd | 30 | $174,750 | |
| Whocouldaskformo | 23rd | 30 | $37,940 | 4th Gazelle (G3), AQU |
| Life Talk | 24th | 29 | $295,500 | 5th Gazelle (G3), AQU |
| Perfect Shot | 25th | 25 | $60,000 | |
| Winnable | * | 25 | $58,000 | |
| Impel | 26th | 25 | $57,750 | 3rd Ashland (G1), KEE |
| Corposo | * | 25 | $36,000 | 3rd Santa Anita Oaks (G2), SA |
| Carmelina | 27th | 25 | $11,500 | 7th Gazelle (G3), AQU |
| Scalable | 28th | 22 | $107,200 | |
| Band of Gold | 29th | 21 | $149,400 | |
| She’s a Tempest | 30th | 21 | $24,000 | |
| Maxisuperfly | 31st | 20 | $90,680 | |
| Out of consideration | Rank | Pts. | **Earnings | |
| West Omaha | 90 | $241,250 | ||
| *Not nominated for Oaks | ||||
| **Non-restricted stakes |