Ky. Oaks: Our Pretty Woman joins field with Tapit Jenallie scratch

Tapit Jenallie was scratched Thursday from the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, clearing the way for Our Pretty Woman to join the 14-filly field for Friday's race at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Eddie Milligan Jr. told the Churchill Downs media team that the filly was withdrawn because of a slight injury.

“She’s having a little problem with her back end, and we felt like she’s just too nice of a filly to do anything detrimental to her health,” Milligan said.

The trainer said that he first noticed something was a little off the last couple of days, but that the situation didn’t clear up.

“It’s very disappointing, very disheartening, but that’s how this game is,” he said. “She’s been doing really well, and been training really well. It showed up one morning while I was galloping her, and it’s there.”

Milligan said they’ll regroup and plan an altered racing schedule for her 3-year-old season.

“We’re going to give her a little more time, maybe a 30-day break, let her eat some grass, then re-evaluate and see what we need to do,” said Milligan, who was training Tapit Jenallie to be his first Oaks starter.

The daughter of Tapit, a Willis Horton homebred, was third in the Fantasy (G3) last out and has a record of 6: 2-1-1. She was 30-1 on the morning line.

Our Pretty Woman, a Medaglia d'Oro filly trained by Steve Asmussen, was 15-1 on the morning line and was at 40-1 in advance wagering Thursday morning. She won her January debut and then a Fair Grounds allowance, and in her third start, she was second to Tarifa in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) by 3/4 length.

She has been working at Churchill Downs, most recently breezing four furlongs in 50.6 seconds.

Owned by Courtlandt Farms, Our Pretty Woman was a $900,000 purchase at the Keeneland September yearling sale.