Kentucky Oaks trail: Counting Stars comes out of Fantasy well

Counting Stars emerged in good order from her blowout victory in Friday’s Grade 2, $1 million Fantasy Stakes, her dual Hall of Fame trainer, Mark Casse, said Saturday morning.

Counting Stars received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 92 from Daily Racing Form, a career high, for her 5 1/2-length victory over stablemate Search Party in the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy, Oaklawn’s third and final Kentucky Oaks qualifying race. It marked the largest margin of victory in the Fantasy since Joyful Victory won by seven lengths in 2011.

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Counting Stars received 75 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to push her total to 100, which is third on the official rankings released by Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks, the country’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies, is limited to 14 starters. The race is May 1.

“She brought her “A” game,” Casse said. “She was the Counting Stars I’ve been seeing for a long time and thought we had. She ended up getting a very good Beyer. That puts her, I think, pretty well at the top of the list right now.”

A two-time stakes winner earlier in the Oaklawn meeting, Counting Stars was exiting a runner-up finish, beaten three-quarters of a length by Explora, in the $750,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles March 1. The Honeybee was Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Oaks qualifying race.

Explora was the even-money program favorite for the Fantasy, but she was scratched because of a fever, reducing the starting field to just five. Explora ranks fourth on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 95 points.

Search Party strengthened her Kentucky Oaks credentials with her runner-up finish in the Fantasy. Search Party won Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Oaks qualifying race, $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes on Feb. 6, and ran fourth in the Honeybee. Search Party, in traffic on the second turn of the Fantasy, finished 9 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Taken by the Wind.

“I kind of think that’s her game,” Casse of the Kentucky Oaks. “She’s going to get another sixteenth of a mile. She’s going to get a lot of pace. There was not a lot of pace yesterday.”

Casse said he’s unsure when Counting Stars and Search Party will depart Oaklawn to prepare for the Kentucky Oaks, but both horses “will go straight to Churchill Downs.”

“We still have, what, five weeks?” Casse said. “So, there’s no rush. They’re happy here. I might leave them here for a bit.”

Casse has a third Kentucky Oaks candidate in unbeaten Oaklawn-based French Friction, who is scheduled to make her two-turn debut in the $750,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) on April 3 at Keeneland. She ships to Monday to Kentucky, Casse said.

“She would almost have to win to have enough points,” Casse said. “There’s only 14. Obviously, Counting Stars is good right now. I’m fairly certain Search Party is fine, too. They still have a few more (qualifying races).”

French Friction won the $150,000 six-furlong Dixie Belle Stakes on Feb. 14 in her last start.