Mott tabs Kentucky Oaks prospect Lake Avenue for Aqueduct's Busher

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, with longtime assistant Leanna Willaford in charge of his New York division, will be well represented with formidable contenders pointing toward next Saturday's Gotham Stakes card features.

Heading up the list is Lake Avenue.

With 85 qualifying Kentucky Oaks points up for grabs in the $250,000 Busher Invitational, Mott is expected to enter the talented 3-year-old filly, a Godolphin homebred unbeaten in two starts at Aqueduct. Lake Avenue won the Demoiselle (G2) on December 7 after impressively breaking her maiden going seven furlongs by 12 ¾ lengths in her second career start last November.

Currently under the watchful eye of Mott from his winter base at Payson Park in Florida, Lake Avenue will ship to New York next week where she will begin her 2020 campaign in the one-mile Busher.

"All reports are that she is doing well," said Willaford. "She is expected to ship to New York next Wednesday [March 4] and from everything I've heard she's continued to progress. It's exciting because we know she likes the track and surface so we'll continue to keep her happy."

Among Lake Avenue's competition in the Busher, going a mile on the main track, is the Demoiselle runner-up Maedean. Entries will close and post positions draw Wednesday.

Kentucky Oaks qualifying points from the Busher are distributed on a 50-20-10-5 basis to the top-four finishers.