Road to the Kentucky Oaks

Spring Classic preparations kicked off bright and early Saturday morning at Keeneland with GI Toyota Blue Grass runner-up Ottinho (Quality Road) working in company for trainer Chad Brown despite being ruled out of the Kentucky Derby. Ottinho had been in consideration for the Derby but DRF's David Grening reported Saturday afternoon on X that Brown believed it was 'unlikely' the colt would go on to the spring marquee. The GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel May 16 or the GIII Peter Pan Stakes remain as targets later on. With his defection,...

GI Arkansas Derby runner-up Silent Tactic (Tacitus) worked Sunday morning at Oaklawn Park and was joined by a fleet of Kentucky Oaks hopefuls as well with preparations continuing on the march to May. The Mark Casse trainee worked an easy half-mile over a fast track Sunday morning with regular rider Cristian Torres in the irons. Clocking an opening quarter-mile in :24.80, he covered the four furlongs in :49.40 (26/58) before galloping out five panels in 1:02.80 and six in 1:17.60. It was his final local breeze before shipping out to...

Good prognoses and day-after thoughts abound Sunday morning as connections reported in on their stars after a Saturday of exciting racing that included a dead-heat victory in the GI Jenny Wiley Stakes as well as a stylish win in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes. Concerning the aforementioned two victresses of the Jenny Wiley, a rare feat at any level, the Brendan Walsh camp reported that Expensive Queen (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) emerged from the effort in good form as did the Chad Brown barn for Segesta (Ghostzapper). "She's good...

'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Always A Runner (Gun Runner) wore down pacesetter Pashmina (Constitution) in the final sixteenth to win Saturday's GIII Gazelle Stakes and earn 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The least experienced runner in the field with just one start under her belt, the seven-figure yearling impressed at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 6, drawing off to win that debut by 6 1/2 lengths. Lacking any early speed from the gate on a surface that had taken a bit of rain just before...

When last seen in Grade I company at Keeneland, Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar (Upstart) crossed the wire an apparent open-lengths winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last October, only to be demoted from the victory for causing interference and placed second. The $52,000 Keeneland September bargain was back in Lexington in Friday's opening-day feature, the GI Central Bank Ashland S., and with a rail-skimming run into the short stretch, Percy's Bar went on to an authoritative 2 1/4-length defeat of heavily favored Zany (American Pharoah). French Friction (City...

Prom Queen (Quality Road) is heading to the big dance. Tabbed as a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' off an eight-length maiden victory at second asking going two turns at Gulfstream Park Feb. 12, the Gary and Mary West homebred punched her ticket to Louisville with a powerful 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday's GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, good for 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. My Miss Mo (Uncle Mo) held second after setting the pace. Favored She Be Smooth (Lexitonian), an impressive winner of the...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--To quote the seemingly prim and proper Lady Mary of Downton Abbey fame, "Heavens!" When Counting Stars (Honor A. P.--Paynterbynumbers, by Paynter) was ready to take command up the backstretch, the filly was up to the task at hand and she rolled home a winner in the GII Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn--hence the use of such strong, genteel language. The chilly and overcast weather on Friday evening did nothing to dampen the spirits of owners West Point Thoroughbreds. On the twisty and winding 'Road to the Kentucky Oaks'...

Last year's Rags to Riches Stakes winner, Life of Joy (Gun Runner) booked herself a return trip to Churchill Downs Saturday, taking down the GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks and with it, 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Debuted late in her 2-year-old season by trainer Brad Cox, the $375,000 Keeneland September grad was a bit under the radar initially when making her first start at Horseshoe Indianapolis. But, after putting up a devastating 14 3/4-length win going one mile Oct. 2, was anonymous no more and...

NEW KENT, VA--Bob Baffert has an embarrassment of riches on his hands when it comes to classy 3-year-old fillies. Grade I winner Bottle of Rouge (Vino Rosso) joined stablemates Explora (Blame) and Forced Entry (Charlatan) in the top five slots of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard Saturday with her dominant win in the second running of the Virginia Oaks. Making her second start of the year, Bottle of Rouge crossed the country to Colonial Downs off a 1 1/2-length score in the Sunland Park Oaks Feb. 15. She...

Calumet Farm homebred She Be Smooth (Lexitonian) raced well out of the range of the cameraman for the opening 5 1/2 furlongs of Saturday's GII Davona Dale Stakes, but she entered the picture in an instant and finished full of run to become the first graded winner for her sire (by Speightstown) while picking up 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Allowed to jump at juicy odds of 28-5 off an impressive debut over the Davona Dale course and distance Jan. 23 that came at the expense...

When a field of 10 enters the starting gate for Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, they'll sure have some big shoes to fill. Twelve months ago, Sovereignty (Into Mischief) embarked on what would become a Horse of the Year campaign with a narrow victory in his seasonal debut and a little more than two months later, joined Spectacular Bid (1979), Thunder Gulch (1995) and Orb (2013) as horses to add the GI Kentucky Derby in the last half-century. Horses such as Union Rags (2012) and...

Trainer Paolo Lobo sent out Farda Amiga (Broad Brush) to a 20-1 upset of Take Charge Lady (Dehere) in the 2002 GI Kentucky Oaks and he could be back in Louisville on the first of May after Resplendence (Justify) took a full field wire-to-wire in the Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway Park. The victory was good for 20 points on the Road to the Oaks. Off the board in a pair of turf routes on the Kentucky circuit to begin her career, Resplendence missed by a nose two-turning over the main...