Jody's Pride

Billed as a showdown between the top three finishers of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Keeneland's opening day GI Central Bank Ashland S.--worth not just $600,000 in purse money but also GI Kentucky Oaks points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale--instead featured the blossoming of Whisper Hill Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Leslie's Rose (f, 3, Into Mischief--Wildwood Rose {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), who left no doubt about the top filly on the day with a three-length tour de force. George Krikorian's Breeders' Cup winner and Eclipse champion Just F Y I...

Things are heating up and the prospective field for the GI Kentucky Oaks is starting to take shape. Tarifa (Bernardini) won the GII Fair Grounds Oaks last Saturday and is very much looking like the horse to beat in the Kentucky Oaks. At Turfway Park, the former claimer Everland (Arrogate) earned her way into the Oaks with a win in the Bourbonette Oaks. Two huge preps will be run this Saturday--the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and the GIII Fantasy at Oaklawn. Here's a look at the latest installment of our...

Deterministic (Liam's Map) exited his victory in the GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct Saturday in fine shape and connections are still mulling a possible next start for the sophomore. "He came back in good order. We're very much enjoying the fact that he won the Gotham yesterday. It was a very strong performance and we're happy with the way he looks this morning," trainer Christophe Clement said Sunday. "We will probably ship him to Florida this week. He's done very well in Florida and the weather is more under control....

Jody's Pride (f, 3, American Pharoah--Jody's Song, by Scat Daddy) opened her 2024 with style here as she outgamed Carmelina (Maximus Mischief) to claim her first stakes win of the season in the Busher S. A dirt horse by accident after her maiden turf dash debut Aug. 9 at Saratoga was brought off the grass and she dominated by 10 1/2 lengths, it was a similar story for the Matron S. in her second start Oct. 8 when that six-panel sprint also came off the turf and again sending Jody's...

Steve Weston hoped to produce a nice turf horse when he sent his mare Jody's Song (Scat Daddy) to Coolmore's American Pharoah. Jody's Song had been undefeated in two starts on the grass in New York and American Pharoah had already shown his versatility as a sire when he produced several Grade I-winning turfers from his first few crops. Everyone spoke highly of the resulting filly, whom he named Jody's Pride, throughout her early years, but when it came time for the dark bay to make her debut last August...

Churchill Downs' ban of Bob Baffert and the decision by his owners to keep their horses with the trainer, even though that means they cannot run at Churchill, will affect not just the Derby. Though Baffert's group of 3-year-old fillies is not as deep or as impressive as his collection of 3-year-old colts, he does have some fillies that, in a normal year, would be Oaks candidates. He has GII Starlet S. winner Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon). But his best filly may be Kinza (Carpe Diem), who rocketed to...

Last year, no one seemed prepared to head to the head of the class when it came to the group of 3-year-old fillies heading to the GI Kentucky Oaks. Eclipse Award winner Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) was defeated in her two preps for the Oaks and finished out the year at 0-for-4 before being retired. Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) failed to live up to the considerable hype and never even made it to the Oaks. The regally bred Julia Shining (Curlin) went 0-for-2 in her preps and also failed to...

ARCADIA, CA - For your information, George Krikorian's unbeaten homebred Just F Y I (Justify) is the best 2-year-old filly in the country. Given a 7-1 chance while drawn widest of all in post 12 in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, she secured a beautiful spot from her outside draw and immediately took the race to 4-5 favorite and unbeaten GI Del Mar Debutante S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) from the start. Always traveling like a winner beneath Junior Alvarado from an outside second, she...

Jody's Pride, a 10 1/2-length debut winner in an off-turf event upstate Aug. 9, enjoyed the same surface switch here and the result was similar. Off towards the back of the pack, the dark bay quickly picked off rivals down the backside and uncorked a three-deep move around the bend to take command under her own power before a half posted in :45.93. She found no challengers from there on in, and cruised under the line a dominant victoress from last-out New York-bred stakes fourth finisher Tricky Temper. A Primera...