Ky. Oaks prep: Amoss sits 1, starts 1 in Rachel Alexandra

Tom Amoss is moving one of his promising 3-year-old fillies into stakes company Saturday in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexander but will hold off a week with another.

As Daily Racing Form reported, Quickick, who is no. 13 on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) leaderboard, will make her 2025 debut in the Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn next Saturday. The Rachel Alexandra and Honeybee, both at 1 1/16 miles, each offer 50-25-15-10-5 Oaks qualifying points to the top five finishers.

Quickick, a McKinzie filly, was third last out in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and returned to the work tab at Fair Grounds on Jan. 29. She breezed five furlongs Sunday in 1:01.40, sixth fastest of 22 at the distance.

In opting for the Honeybee rather than the Rachel Alexandra, Amoss told Horse Racing Nation that "it's a fine line. It's only one week, and it's only one work. But looking at moving forward and thinking in terms of potentially getting points, we think that's the best plan."

Another factor is Aledean, a daughter of Game Winner who will run in the Rachel Alexandra.

"We want to separate those two horses," Amoss said.

Aledean broke her maiden at Delta Downs in October in her third start. She returned in January in an optional-claiming allowance at Fair Grounds, moving from last of five to win by 3/4 length over the odds-on favorite.

"She's been a horse that's really kind of overachieved, and (the Rachel Alexandra) is a huge step forward," Amoss said. "But it is a graded stake, and it is a smallish field, and we look forward to the challenge."