Shedaresthedevil on her way back to the Oaks trail with Churchill win

Graded stakes winner Shedaresthedevil prevailed in an allowance optional claiming feature Friday at Churchill Downs, leading seven other 3-year-old fillies from gate to wire.

In a sign she's ready to return to the Kentucky Oaks trail, the Daredevil filly finished off 1 1/16 miles in a final time of 1:42.89, six lengths ahead of second-place Mizzen Beau, who tracked Shedaresthedevil for the entirety of the race.

"She has tactical speed which is very important for any horse,” Geroux said. “Today I was able to get the lead but she has proven in the past that she does well sitting off the pace. She did everything very easy today and showed that she’s a talented 3-year-old filly who fits right with the rest of the (Kentucky) Oaks fillies.”

Shedaresthedevil exited perhaps the deepest race of the season for 3-year-old fillies, Oaklawn's Fantasy Stakes (G3), having run third behind the Grade 1-bound Swiss Skydiver and Venetian Harbor.

Owned by Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stables and Big Aut Farms, the Brad Cox-trained filly went off as the post-time favorite Friday, paying $4.80 to win, $3.60 to place and $3.00 to show.

Now a winner of three races from eight career starts, Shedaresthedevil can look to races such as Keeneland's Ashland (G1) and Beaumont (G3) or the Indiana Oaks (G3). All lead up to the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks back at Churchill Downs.

"This was a good steppingstone to getting her ready for the (Sept. 4) Kentucky Oaks,” Cox said. “She’s proved in the past that she’s talented and she’s already a graded stakes winner. We’ll definitely look at the (Road to Kentucky Oaks) schedule to point her to one of the local races this summer.”