She's a Julie rolls to Iowa Oaks win for Asmussen barn

Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Midwest dominance continued Thursday night with She’s a Julie an open lengths winner of the Grade 3, $200,000 Iowa Oaks.

Under jockey Ricardo Santana, the daughter of Elusive Quality never looked beatable, sitting off a loose longshot leader before pouncing in the far turn. Santana kept his mount under a hand ride across the wire, easing up before the finish.

The final time was 1:43.33 for 1 1/16 miles.

Cosmic Burst ran second and Hold Her Tight third in the field of nine, which was missing its 5-2 morning line favorite, Raaya. The Bob Baffert trainee didn’t ultimately ship from the West Coast.

Top betting choice Sassy Sienna, sixth last out in the Kentucky Oaks, didn’t fire either, coming under a hard ride through the turn under jockey Florent Geroux.

She’s a Julie returned $8 to win, marking her third career win in eight starts for Whispering Oaks Farm, whose Carrol Castille said Asmussen “put a lot of time and effort into this filly. He couldn’t be here tonight, unfortunately, but he was excited — trust me.”

Baydar's opening fractions of 23.17 seconds for the quarter mile, before a half in 46.78, created a four-length advantage. But as she backed up to the pack, the pace set up well for She's a Julie to breeze by on the outside.

Godolphin-bred She’s a Julie was purchased as a yearling for $160,000. She also appeared this year in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra (third) and Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks (fifth).