Kentucky Oaks notes: See the latest on the fillies in the field

With two days to go until the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, trainers are making final adjustments for their fillies in the field.

Thorpedo Anna was the 5-2 favorite for the Oaks as of Wednesday morning. Here is an update on the contenders from Churchill Downs.

Everland. Everland, winner of the Bourbonette Oaks in her most recent start for trainer Eric Foster, went out for a gallop of about 1 1/16 miles Wednesday with her Oaks rider Abel Cedillo.

“I know she’s going to run her race if she transitions to the dirt,” said Foster, who has been in the horse business his entire life, other than about 10 years when he worked as a boilermaker. “We’re going to find out Friday if she belongs. Going from the artificial to the dirt was my biggest concern. I always said that I’d never run in the Oaks or Derby just to run. Saying that, I think she has a legitimate shot.”

Foster claimed the daughter of Arrogate for $30,000 in a Dec. 30, 2023, race at Turfway Park.

“In claiming, it is a numbers game,” he said. “We try to pick the ones we like the breeding on or the past performances.”

Foster couldn’t cite anything specific that he’s done that has made a difference in Everland’s rise from the claiming ranks to competing in one of the top graded stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

“There aren’t a lot of secrets out there,” he said. “She was getting beat, but I actually thought she put some effort in for most of her races. They’re the same as we are – you give a horse three or four or five chances at the upper level, and most of the time there’s just one thing to do to get their confidence up.

“I try to do the minimum, to keep it simple for the horse,” he added. “We just put her on our program and try to keep her happy. All we do is take care of them so they last a long time. I try to do everything to keep them healthy to where they can keep running.”

Everland drew post 9 for the Oaks and was 30-1 on the morning line.

Fiona's Magic. Fiona’s Magic had her morning routine switched up a bit Wednesday morning by trainer Michael Yates.

“Instead of breaking off when she came on the track, I took her over to the front side to let her get a look at all the people (for Dawn at the Downs),” Yates said. “Then she galloped about a mile and three-eighths.”

Alejandro Mariano was aboard Fiona’s Magic, who will be ridden in the Oaks by Luis Saez from post 7.

Gin Gin, Tarifa. Gin Gin and Tarifa both galloped about 1 1/2 miles Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. EDT for trainer Brad Cox.

Into Champagne. Into Champagne went to the track Wednesday at the 7:30 a.m. training time for trainer Ian Wilkes.

“She galloped about a mile-and-three-eighths with her exercise rider, Adelso Orantes,” Wilkes said. Later in the morning, he said, she was going to be schooling in the paddock.

Jockey Julian Leparoux likes his chances in the Oaks with Into Champagne. The filly drew the post 10 and was bet down to 36-1 in advance wagering Wednesday.

“She doesn’t have any bad races, she’s always run good, so hopefully we get the trip, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Just F Y I. Champion filly Just F Y I had another standard morning for trainer Bill Mott, visiting the paddock before putting in her gallop over the main track.

Just F Y I capped off last year's 3-for-3 season with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Justify ran second to fellow Oaks contender Leslie’s Rose in the Ashland Stakes (G1) on April 5.

Lemon Muffin. Trying to keep Lemon Muffin on the ground in recent days has been the challenge for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. To that end, the steel-colored daughter of Collected jogged once around the track and in the chute Wednesday in an effort to try to harness some of her abundant energy.

“She galloped real strong again yesterday morning, she’s been doing a little too much in her mornings,” Lukas said. “That work the other day (five furlongs in 58.2 seconds) was all her. She came back the first day after that, we gave her a day off, and then the next day she was rolling around there again. But that’s her, that’s what we need to see.”

Jockey Keith Asmussen, who will be aboard Lemon Muffin in the Oaks, was on hand to watch his filly train Wednesday. As the young rider sat in Lukas’ office during the break, the Hall of Fame trainer let his pilot know “she’s a different horse than you rode last time.”

The last race Lukas was referring to was Lemon Muffin’s seventh-place run in the Fantasy Stakes (G2) on March 30, an effort he says he is drawing a line through.

“She never spiked a temperature that day, but she wasn’t herself that day,” Lukas said. “She saddled quiet even. If she goes over there on Friday like she’s been this week, we’re in good shape.”

Leslie's Rose, Candied. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s Kentucky Oaks candidates Leslie’s Rose and Candied followed pattern Wednesday morning and galloped during the training session between 7:30-7:45 at Churchill Downs on a lovely Kentucky morning.

The trainer assigned the duo’s regular riders to handle the duties, with Joel Osorio on Leslie’s Rose and Carlos Quevedo aboard Candied.

After their gallops of about 1 1/4 miles, the riders jogged their horses into the track’s mile chute and took turns standing them in the starting gate. Pletcher was nearby to see that all went well. Then it was back to Barn 39 for a bath and a snack.

“All’s quiet,” the trainer noted. “Quiet is good.”

Leslie’s Rose, the lukewarm favorite for the classic at 4-1, will break from post 14 in the full field for the nine-furlong Oaks Friday with regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr.

Candied is on the outside looking in. She’s on the also-eligible list and will need two defections from the body of the race to be a starter.

Power Squeeze. Power Squeeze went to a Churchill Downs track Wednesday for trainer Jorge Delgado, with exercise rider Edwin Castro.

“She just did her routine and galloped a mile-and-a-half,” Delgado said. “She looked really good. She’s having some fun out there. I can’t wait until Friday. I just wish the race was this afternoon and not two days away. People are noticing her now.”

If the upset winner of the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) captures the Kentucky Oaks, she’ll extend her win streak to five. The filly, bet down to 9-1 in advance wagering, breaks from the post 12 with Daniel Centeno.

Regulatory Risk, Ways and Means. Regulatory Risk and Ways and Means continued to go through their paces without drama. Each galloped twice around during the 7:30 a.m. training session Wednesday with trainer Chad Brown looking on.

Tapit Jenallie. Willis Horton Racing’s Tapit Jenallie was out stretching her legs on Wednesday with trainer Eddie Milligan Jr. at 6 a.m. in preparation for Friday’s Oaks.

“We just jogged her two miles,” Milligan said. “Two days to go, if we’re not ready now, we’re not going to be ready. She’s blooming at the right time.”

Kevin Horton, who’s in charge of the stable started by his late father, was on hand to check out his filly’s progress.

“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “Eddie’s done a great job getting her ready, he’s hands-on, that’s for sure. There aren’t many like him.”

The Horton stable has campaigned such Eclipse Award champions as Will Take Charge and Take Charge Brandi and 2006 Kentucky Oaks winner Lemons Forever.

“He was fixing to retire on me, to go traveling with his wife,” Horton said of his trainer. “I just thought there was something better for him to do. We’ve had a good relationship, and he’s horseman so deep. Eddie’s first class, he’s on the horse every day, how can you get any better?”

In addition to Lemons Forever, the Horton stable finished third in the 2021 Oaks with Will’s Secret.

“We’re pretty excited since we’re coming in under the radar,” Horton said. “She’s improved so much, and I think she’s going to be a shocker to some people.”

Tapit Jenallie, who will start in the Oaks from post 1 with jockey Manny Esquivel, was 52-1 Wednesday afternoon in advance wagering for the Oaks.

“I’m a fan of the 1-hole if you have a horse that breaks good,” Horton said. “She breaks good. One of those fears is going wide in the first turn and getting hung out. Well, there’s no reason to be wide if you’ve got the speed to get away.”

Thorpedo Anna. Thorpedo Anna went out Wednesday morning for a gallop with another jockey whom trainer Kenny McPeek regularly calls on, Robby Albarado.

“The filly galloped a mile-and-a-half and stood in the gate, too,” McPeek said.

Thorpedo Anna, winner of three of her four career starts, including the Fantasy Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn, drew the No. 5 post for the Oaks. The filly, who will have jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, was bet down to the 5-2 favorite after Tuesday’s advance wagering.

Where's My Ring. Trainer Val Brinkerhoff had a good problem on his hands Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs. His filly Where’s My Ring was scheduled to stretch her legs under exercise rider David Rodriguez; just something simple was the plan.

“She’s feeling good though, real good,” Brinkerhoff said. “I was just going to jog her around there one time, but now I might have to gallop her one, too.”

The well-made daughter of Twirling Candy did just that during the 7:30-7:45 training session for Oaks and Derby horses, proving to be part of the show put on for a large crowd on a sunny morning.

Michael McMillan, the filly’s owner, was on hand for the activities.

“She’s the first horse I ever bought,” the Las Vegas resident said. “It’s exciting being with her and coming up to a big race like the Oaks.”

McMillan, whose business is medical billing, was living in Del Mar in California and found himself going to the racetrack looking for entertainment. He discovered that he and his family liked it, and they decided to become involved. Now he owns eight horses on his own and shares parts of several others.

“I just bought a home here in Simpsonville,” he said. “We’re going to shift our emphasis to Kentucky and race here. The purses are amazing, and Val (Brinkerhoff) and I are going to set up shop.”

Where’s My Ring gave him a taste of big-time success last out when she captured the Gazelle (G3) in New York and earned Kentucky Oaks points. Now New York rider Jose Lezcano will be back aboard the filly Friday as they take a big-time swing at the $1.5 million purse in the 150th Kentucky Oaks.