Kentucky Oaks update: Trainers prepare for final breezes

Churchill Downs provided this update on contenders for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.

Botanical, The Alys Look, Wet Paint. Trainer Brad Cox’s trio of Kentucky Oaks contenders Botanical, The Alys Look and Wet Paint all continued their regular training patterns Tuesday.

The Alys Look and Wet Paint, the Oaks points leader, galloped about 1 1/2 miles at 7:30 a.m. EDT, ahd Botanical galloped the same distance around 8:30 a.m.

All three fillies then schooled in the Churchill Downs paddock.

Defining Purpose. Trainer Kenny McPeek watched the Ashland Stakes (G1) winner put in a 1 1/4 mile gallop without any problems.

“She’ll breeze on Saturday,” he said of the filly.

Flying Connection. Flying Connection had a walk day Tuesday.

Trained by Todd Fincher, Flying Connection is scheduled to have her second Churchill Downs work Thursday.

Gambling Girl, Julia Shining. Gambling Girl galloped 1 3/8 miles under exercise rider Carlos Quevedo for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Julia Shining, No. 16 on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard and in need of two defections to make the 14-horse Oaks starting gate, galloped 1 3/8 miles under Humberto Zamora.

“There is no Plan B as of yet,” Pletcher said when asked about options for Julia Shining if she does not run in the Oaks.

Julia Shining is a full sister to 2021 Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat.

Mimi Kakushi. Mimi Kakushi jogged a mile and cantered a mile under exercise rider Xavier Ziani.

Undefeated in two starts this year with victories in the UAE One Thousand Guineas and UAE Oaks (G3), Mimi Kakushi would represent the first runner in the U.S. for owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum as well as trainer Salem bin Ghadayer.

Bin Ghadayer plans to work Mimi Kakushi on Saturday. She will have paddock schooling on her agenda leading up to the Oaks and possibly gate schooling.

Pretty Mischievous. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Pretty Mischievous went out for a gallop with exercise rider Albino Martinez. Walsh is out of town, and assistant Charlie Lynch supervised her.

“She went her usual mile-and-a-half,” Lynch said, confirming that the filly will have a timed workout probably Friday or Saturday. “A lot depends on the weather,” he said.

Southlawn. Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) winner Southlawn galloped about 1 1/2 miles at 7:30 a.m. for trainer Norm Casse.

Casse’s exercise rider Joel Garcia was in the saddle for Southlawn’s Tuesday training session.

“She’s doing well out of her work last week and has trained with a lot of energy,” Casse said. “That’s what you want to see out of a work.”

Southlawn is scheduled to work Thursday, Casse said.

Wonder Wheel. The champion 2-year-old filly of 2022 stepped onto the Churchill Downs track at 6 a.m. With exercise rider Kim Carroll aboard, she jogged in the chute for 10 minutes before an easy gallop.

“She galloped her usual mile-and-a-quarter,” said David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse. “She was up in the chute for a while, playing around, then she went down and did her mile-and-a-quarter.”

Wonder Wheel at times appears a bit headstrong, and Carroll said, “That’s something we’re working on. She wants to do too much.”

Plans still call for her to breeze Thursday morning with her Oaks jockey, Joel Rosario. “Timing-wise, it’ll be good, since she breezed last Thursday,” Carroll said. “We want Joel to get a feel for her. He’s very, very good at getting horses to relax. He’s one of those riders who’s very astute and picks up on things.”