Lady Apple charges up the rail to win Oaklawn's Fantasy Stakes

Running from off a brisk pace set by the top choices, Lady Apple made a brave move up the rail Friday to win Oaklawn Park’s Grade 3, $500,000 Fantasy Stakes and punch her ticket to the May 3 Kentucky Oaks.

Under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., the Steve Asmussen-trained daughter of Curlin slipped inside the dueling favorite Motion Emotion and Brill, a West Coast shipper who went off as the second choice.

Lady Apple finished 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.88 as Santana pumped his fist and posed for the camera in Hot Springs, Ark.

“Ricardo gave her a dream trip and the filly showed tremendous heart," Asmussen said. "She broke smoothly. He worked out the perfect trip for her. I think the only option was the fence and she showed a lot of heart to go through there.”

She ran four times as a juvenile without a win, then broke her maiden off the shelf on Feb. 7 at Oaklawn Park. Continuing to climb conditions, she then won a March 23 allowance over the same course.

Off at 9-1, Lady Apple returned $21.60 to win.

It was about more than her being the best horse on the day. After Motion Emotion ran inside of Brill through an opening half mile in 46.76 seconds, the pair began to back up into a three-wide wall of pursuers.

Lady Apple was among them but pinned on the inside.

"We got a beautiful trip," Santana Jr. said. "I put her in the position that I wanted to. Turning for home, I didn't have a place to go out, so I said I have to pass through on the rail.

"My filly -- I'm glad she didn't get scared when I tried to pass. She didn't. She kept fighting."

Asmussen has now won the Fantasy in three of the last four years.