Share This: Cocktail Moments finished second to Nest in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland!
The 148th Kentucky Oaks field is set and I could not resist sharing both my contender photos and my enthusiasm for these outstanding fillies. Please, enjoy my pictures and minimal commentary.
Live racing returns this April at Keeneland! The fabulous fifteen day meet is stuffed with stakes races, worth $7.7 million is purse money. Plan on participating in person at the picturesque track or through multiple media methods. Kindly, read my chronicle on Keeneland for a Spring stakes summary.
Share This: Pass the Champagne moves up to finish second in the Ashland Stakes. How will she do in the Kentucky Oaks?
The 147th, $1.25 million dollar Longines Kentucky Oaks races this Friday, April 29th! After a long series of prep races the final field of 14 has been qualified and selected. The best three year old, dirt racing, thoroughbred fillies are set to face off. Keep reading and sharing to learn more.
Share This: The 2020 Kentucky Oaks will look a lot different without the fans.
This Friday is for the fillies! The very long awaited Kentucky Oaks will finally race on September, 4th. The 2020 Kentucky Oaks is already unique in so many ways. The 146th edition will go down as an Oaks to remember. These 3 year-olds have long awaited this opportunity to show off their star power. We are longing for the Longines Kentucky Oaks.
Kenny McPeek and Corey Lanerie had a nice finish with Eskimo Kisses in second place in the Ashland Stakes!
Are you ready for my favorite fourteen filly face-off on Friday, the 4th? I have a quick breakdown on the facts, fun, food, fashion, feelings and fortune that awaits in the 144th Kentucky Oaks. Please, follow along with my easy outline for the Oaks.
The Scat Daddy fillies are really turning my head. On a mission to find this sire’s beautiful Lady Aurelia, I was wildly entertained by another of his gorgeous daughters, Daddys Lil Darling.
The celebration is in full swing! I started out Kentucky Derby week right. On Sunday, I went to Churchill Downs for Fan Fest. The Kentucky Derby Museum hosted a special day with museum access, tours of Churchill Downs and presentations by famous horsemen. So many activities are taking place right now ahead of the KY Derby but certainly don’t miss out when the Fillies Run for the Lillies in the 143rd Kentucky Oaks.
Christmas came early for 8 lucky Thoroughbreds yesterday. Two races held at Los Alamitos, in California, on December 10th were the end of the road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks for this year. Fortunately, on 1/7/17 prep races continue as they will until mid April.
I covered the top of the KY Derby leaderboard in my last post. The Grade 1 CashCall Futurity held yesterday awarded 10 points to Mastery, 4 points to Irap, 2 points for Dangerfield and 1 point to Bobby Abu Dhabi. This resulted in some changes in the top of the leaderboard bumping Mastery into 5th place and knocking Klimt out of the top ten. The KY Derby top ten as 2016 ends:
Classic Empire
Practical Joke
Gunnevera
Lookin At Lee
Mastery
Gormley
Mo Town
McCraken
Wild Shot
No Dozing
Changes in the top ten KY Oaks contenders were similar. The Grade 1 Starlet Stakes gifted 10 points to Abel Tasman, 4 to American Gal, 2 to Mopotism and 1 point for Tapped. This moved Farrell from the 8th to 9th position as Abel Tasman took over the 8 spot and Ever So Clever fell to 12th as American Gal filled in the 11th position. The current KY Oaks contenders:
Champagne Room
Daddys Lil Darling
Miss Sky Warrior
Dancing Rags
Yellow Agate
Shane’s Girlfriend
Noted and Quoted
Abel Tasman
Farrell
Valadorna
Unlike the KY Derby where the favorite is my favorite, Classic Empire, I’m uncertain as to which filly in this field I’m a fan of? The KY Oaks was inaugurated on 5/19/1875. The 143rd Oaks will be held 5/5/17.
Champagne Room won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and that is where she picked up 20 of her 21 points. Valadorna was second, American Girl was third , Daddys Lil Darling finished fourth, Noted and Quoted was 7th, Dancing Rags ran 8th and YellowAgate finished 10th. Therefore, Champagne Room beat many in this field once but she didn’t win it by lengths. She has finished in the top 4 in her 5 career races, 4 of which were graded stakes. She got just 1 point when she finished fourth in the Chandelier Stakes. Noted and Quoted won that race.
Daddys Lil Darling has worked hard for her 20 points. She has finished in the top 4 of 4 KY Oaks prep races. She was 1st in the Pohahontas, 2nd in the Alcibiades and the Golden Rod and 4th in the BC Juvenile.
Miss Sky Warrior has finished 1st in the last 3 of her 4 starts. The last 2 were graded stakes and she took her Oaks points when she won the Demoiselle Stakes.
Dancing Rags won the Alcibiades but finished near the back in the BC Juvenile. She has won 2 of her 4 starts.
Yellow Agate has only raced 3 times. She won the Frizette Stakes grabbing 10 points but then did poorly in the BC Juvenile.
Shane’s Girlfriend is undefeated in her 2 starts. She won the Delta Downs Princess Stakes less than a month after breaking her maiden.
Noted and Quoted has raced 5 times. She got her Oaks points when she won the Chandelier but she did not excel in the BC Juvenile.
Abel Tasman won the Starlet yesterday. It was her 1st graded stakes race. She has won 3 of her 4 lifetime races.
Farrell is my homegirl, LOL. All 4 of her starts have been at Churchill Downs. I saw her there this Fall. It is her picture at the top of the post. She broke her maiden that day. The following month she won the Golden Rod Stakes.
Valadorna broke her maiden her 2nd time out. That was on opening day at Keeneland. Her next race was the BC Juvenile Fillies where she took 2nd place. She has not raced since.
With just 9 preps finished and 21 to go I have a while to go before I pick my favorite KY Oaks horse. 2017 is going to be very interesting! Keep checking my page out as we continue down the road. Who do you like?Share This:
Turn a pity party into paradise! That’s what one trip to the world famous Kentucky Horse Park can do. I finished up a glorious Fall Meet at Keeneland Friday and Saturday which left me pining for more equine action today. Thus I headed out to the KY Horse Park. I wanted to see the progress on the Man o’ War statue at his final resting place.
Born on March 29, 1917 it will soon be time to celebrate the 100th year since this legendary horse was foaled. Man o’ War is one of the very best Thoroughbreds to ever race. “Big Red”, as he was affectionately named, won 20 of 21 career races. He was bred and born in Kentucky at Nursery Stud owned by August Belmont II. Man o’ War was sired by Fair Play, his dam was Mahubah. Man o’ War was sold to Samuel Riddle and lived at Glenn Riddle farm in Maryland. Big Red was trained by Louis Feustel. His jockeys were John P. Loftus and later, Clarence Kummer.
Man o’ War won the Eclipse Award for Champion 2 Year Old Colt in 1990 and 3 Year Old Colt in 1920. He won the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year in 1920 as well. He then retired to Faraway Farm in Lexington, KY and had a highly successful stud career, siring 62 graded stakes winners. His son, War Admiral, won the Triple Crown in 1937. WarAdmiral died on this very date, 10/30, in 1959. Before that, Man o’ War passed away 11/01/1947 of a heart attack. He was buried at Faraway and later moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY in 1977. Man o’ War was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957. In many publications of Thoroughbred rankings, Big Red is listed as number 1.
When Man o’ War was exhumed his 3,000 pound bronze statue was moved with him. Herbert Haseltine created the bronze sculpture dated 1948 but commissioned as early as 1934. It sits on a marble base. Casting Arts and Technology is currently in the process of removing the original patina to restore the statue.
Man o’ War’s statue is still a beautiful site to behold even while it is a work in progress. The statue and his grave are in the Man o’ War Memorial area just beyond the main gate and to the left. Isaac Murphy, a famous jockey and several of Man o’ War’s descendants are buried there as well.
I really enjoyed my time at the Kentucky Horse Park this morning. I especially loved seeing the retired horses that live in the Hall of Champions and petting a sweet horse in a paddock on the property. Big Red’s statue should be restored any day now and the park is already preparing for their Southern Lights attraction which I posted about last December. I sure do miss Keeneland racing but I’m glad to have the Kentucky Horse Park open on most days annually. There is always something new to see. Check back soon as I post about the upcoming Breeders’ Cup.
It’s just a few days now until the Bluegrass State hosts the 142nd running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks! Friday, 5/6/16 at 5:49 P.M. EST be sure to watch the run for the lillies at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.
The Kentucky Oaks is a 1 and 1/8 mile (9 furlong) race on a dirt track at Churchill for 3 year old fillies. Competition began with the Pocahontas race on 9/12/15 at Churchill Downs and ended with the Beaumont at Keeneland 4/17/16. 30 races are qualified to provide the points needed to receive a nomination for the KY Oaks. 14 horses have been selected with an additional “also eligible” horse. Post positions have been drawn and the field is as follows: Post position. Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner
Terra Promessa/Ricardo Sanatana Jr./Steven M Asmussen/Stonestreet Stables, LLC
Weep No More/Corey Lanerie/George R. Arnold/Ashbrook Farm
Lewis Bay/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad C. Brown/Alpha Delta Stables
Go Maggie Go/ Luis Saez/Dale L. Romans/Mike Tarp
Dream Dance/Brian Hernandez Jr./Neil J. Howard/Stoneway Farm
Mo Kat/Flaven Prat/Richard Baltas/JK Racing Stable
Mo d’Amour/Joel Rosario/Todd Pletcher/King of Prussia Stable
Royal Obsession/Florent Geroux/Steven M. Asmussen
Paola Queen/Emisael Jaramillo/Gustavo Delgado/Grupo 7 C Racing Stable
Venus Valentine/Shaun Bridgmohon/Thomas M. Amoss/Rosemont Farm LLC
Cathryn Sophia/Javier Castellano/John C. Servis/Cash Is King LLC
Land Over Sea/Mario Guiterrez/Doug F. O’Neill/Reddam Racing LLC
Taxable/Mike Smith/Steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC
“Also Eligible”Dothraki Queen/Gary Stevens/Kenneth G. McPeek/Magdalena Racing
Terra Promessa has had 5 career starts and won her last 4 races including two Grade 3 races, The Honeybee and the Fantasy Stakes. She is sired by Curlin.
Weep No More raced for her first time at Churchill but she broke her maiden at Tampa Bay and has not lost a race since then. In 4 of her 5 career starts she has won including her last race, the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes. In that race she beat Rachel’s Valentina and Cathryn Sophia.
Lewis Bay has always been 1st or 2nd place in her 5 career starts. Her last 3 races were all Grade 2. In her final race, the Gazelle Stakes, she beat both Royal Obsession and Mo d’Amour.
Go Maggie Go has only raced twice. That being said she is undefeated and the only horse in the Oaks with that title. She beat Paola Queen in the Grade 2, Gulfstream Park Oaks.
Dream Dance has raced 9 times before. She has finished all over the board but has the experience of 4 graded stakes and she did win her last race, an allowance, at Keeneland.
Mo Kat is one of 2 Uncle Mo sired fillies in the Oaks. The Kentucky Derby is heavy with Uncle Mo progeny as well. She has had 7 starts and though she has not won since her maiden she has placed or showed in 3 graded stakes.
Mo d’Amour is the other Uncle Mo offspring in this field. She has raced 6 times with 3 wins and 2 times in 3rd. Two of these races were graded stakes.
Royal Obsession has had only 4 starts but has won twice and been 2nd in another race. She has been beaten by Venus Valentine before in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and LewisBay in the Gazelle.
Paola Queen has 5 races behind her. It took her the 1st four times to break her maiden but then she jumped right into a second place finish in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. Maybe her time has come?
Venus Valentine has been 1st, 4th or 5th in her last 5 of 6 races. She was the winner of the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra however. In her other graded stakes race, her last race, she came in 5th.
Rachel’s Valentina is the favorite. Her dam is Rachel Alexandra, winner of the 2009 KY Oaks. No Oaks winning dam has ever foaled an Oaks winning filly. This could be the 1st time? In her 4 career starts she has won twice and placed twice. Her last 3 races have all been graded stakes races. Pictured above is from her 2nd place finish behind Songbird in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies races. Land Over Sea and Dothraki Queen finished behind her.
Cathryn Sophia won her 1st of 4 races but in her 3rd graded stakes she was 3rd in a tight finish with Weep No More and Lewis Bay. She probably still has what it takes.
LandOver Sea is trained by Doug O’Neill who also trains the KY Derby Favorite, Nyquist. She is experienced with 8 starts. 7 times she has finished in the top 3. Her last 3 races were all graded stakes. This horse has the practice and she won her last time out at the Grade 2, Fair Ground Oaks.
Taxable has only 3 starts to her name. She broke her maiden at Churchill. She shares her trainer, Asmussen, with Terra Promessa. Taxable was 2nd behind Terra Promessa in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes.
Finally, should there be a scratch, Dothraki Queen may get a chance at the Oaks. She has raced 6 times before. Her first race, after her maiden, put her on the path to the Oaks. She won the Pocahontas, the 1st of 5 stakes races but she has never been 1st since and in her last race, the Appalachian stakes, she was 8th.
Fun Facts:
Lovely Maria won last year
Rachel Alexandra has the largest winning margin at 20 1/4 lengths
The flower is the Stargazer Lilly, the winner will be blanketed in these
The Charity is “Bright Pink”, to raise funds for fighting breast and ovarian cancer
The prizes: a sterling silver statue kept at the Kentucky Derby Museum and engraved with all the winners names, 12 Julep Cups to share and purse money
The purse is 1 million dollars
The color is pink
The channel to watch is NBCSN from 12:30 to 6 PM EST
Race 1 of the 13 race card at Churchill posts at 10:30 A.M EST
Enjoy the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby Post positions were announced as I was writing this. That story shall follow tomorrow. Keep Thoroughbred U bookmarked as a quick reference for the information you may need.Share This:
