Project Whiskey to 'take a shot' at 2020 Kentucky Oaks

Project Whiskey, winner of the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks and runner-up in the Monmouth Oaks (G3) last out, will make her next start in the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks.

"She’s doing great, she’s been training very well, just galloping her, putting her through her paces," trainer Butch Reid said Sunday. "She’s got a big breeze coming up this week, and we’re going to see how it goes."

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The daughter of Tapizar, owned by Cash is King LLC and LC Racing, is No. 9 on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 70 points earned in her two graded-stakes appearances.

After two attempts at Saratoga last year, she broke her maiden on third try at Parx Racing in September. She followed that with a score in the Parx Juvenile Fillies Stakes in November, but failed to make the board in her next two starts.

Then came the Delaware Oaks on July 4, which she won as a 38-1 shot with Frankie Pennington aboard. In the Aug. 1 Monmouth Oaks, she finished second to Hopeful Growth, who was fifth in the Delaware Oaks.

"The owners want to take a shot (at the Kentucky Oaks), so I'm not going to deprive them of that," Reid said. "She's doing extremely well, and if there's a chance to take a shot, this is going to be it."

Reid said Project Whiskey is "just fantastic" to condition.

"She's my wife Virginia's little baby," he said. "She's been taking care of her since Saratoga last year. She just does everything very well — great horse to get a long with, nice and calm, rides in the van good, ships well. So she give you a lot of options. You can do whatever you want with her."