Kentucky Oaks Undercard

While Friday's GII Eight Belles S. was bet more or less like a coronation for the freaky and previously unbeaten Munnys Gold, Red Carpet Ready--whose own perfect record was tarnished last out--had other ideas. Away as the second choice almost 14 times the favorite's odds, Red Carpet Ready shadowed the pacesetting chalk early with both kept well off the inside. Red Carpet Ready put the screws to Munnys Gold around the turn after a :45.11 half, and quickly opened up as noses pointed for home. Munnys Gold dug in deep,...

Godolphin's progressive Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) parlayed a perfect inside trip into a facile success in Friday's $500,000 GII Eight Belles S. at Churchill Downs, the third winner of the event in the last six years for trainer Brad Cox. The homebred filly was away without incident and raced worse than centerfield through the opening exchanges, as Pretty Birdie (Bird Song) set what appeared to be a strong early tempo in advance of Marissa's Lady (Violence). Racing well off the rail down the chute, Matareya was deftly maneuvered by Flavien...

First-time blinkers did the trick for 'TDN Rising Star' New Year's Eve, who uncorked a very impressive last-to-first rally to upend Friday's GII Edgewood S. on the Churchill turf. A head-turning debut winner Dec. 10 at Fair Grounds over three next-out graduates, the blaze-faced chestnut added a narrow optional claiming tally there Jan. 29. She was bounced around in the stretch of the Mar. 12 Allen Black Cat Lacombe S. back in NOLA Mar. 12, and had to settle for third that day at 9-5. More or less ignored here...

And the beat goes on for Olympiad (Speightstown), who looked to be in all sorts of trouble entering the final furlong of Friday's GII Alysheba S., but he called on his class and talent to repel a challenge from 'TDN Rising Star' Happy Saver (Super Saver) to remain perfect from four starts this season. Away alertly, the odds-on favorite raced prominently under the wire for the first time and had company to his inside in the form of Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile) and from a three-wide Happy Saver. The Chiefswood...

Well-bred Pauline's Pearl, eighth in last year's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, reached the highest level Friday while running down 2020 Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil. Off as the second choice having last finished runner-up in Oaklawn's Mar. 12 GII Azeri S.--one spot ahead of Shedaresthedevil and behind 2021 champion female sprinter Ce Ce (Elusive Quality)--the grey was briefly hung wide into the first turn before working her way inward slightly in midpack as Shedaresthedevil showed the way. She mounted a three-wide challenge after six furlongs in 1:11.78, and continued to grind away...

Bleecker Street took her record to six-for-six with a victory in the GIII Modesty S., the first graded race on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard. The gray caboosed the field through leisurely early splits of :25.18 and :50.31. Ranging up some five wide turning for home, she charged through in between Fluffy Socks and Hendy Woods in the lane and burst clear to score. Her stablemate Fluffy Socks secured second over Hendy Woods. "With both my horses far back with that pace, I was quite worried," said winning trainer Chad...

Rob Masiello's fleet-footed Fiya (Friesan Fire) looks to remain unbeaten on the grass while making his first start of the year in Churchill's GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S. The dark bay broke his maiden third out on the Laurel lawn last June before earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for a sharp allowance tally in July for trainer Michael Merryman. He was subsequently offered in the Wanamaker's July Online Auction, and Masiello ponied up $400,000 to acquire him. Transferred to Tom Albertrani, Fiya picked up right where he left...

Blazing Meadows Farm and Siena Farm's Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) makes her belated seasonal debut in the GII Eight Belles S. on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard Friday. A romping winner of the GIII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga last July, the dark bay added a two-length tally in the one-turn-mile GI Frizette S. at Belmont Oct. 10, but she settled for second when Frizette runner-up Vequist (Nyquist) turned the tables on her in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Tim Hamm pupil recorded a couple breezes at Tampa in January,...

Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) looks to return to the scene of her career-best effort in Friday's GI La Troienne S. for two-turn fillies and mares. A debut winner here as a juvenile for prior connections, the bay took last March's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn, but was a well-beaten third in the GIII Fantasy S. behind Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). She returned to Louisville for a six-length optional claiming romp in June, and was similarly dominant in the GIII Indiana Oaks in July. Let go at 15-1 in last year's GI Kentucky Oaks...

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) makes her sophomore debut at what figures to be a very short price in Churchill's GII Edgewood S. Friday. The 280,000gns Tattersalls October yearling bested her competition by five lengths first out here Sept. 1, and dominated both the GII JPMorgan Jessamine S. Oct. 7 and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 6 at Keeneland on the front end. She was second in the voting for the champion 2-year-old filly Eclipse. The bay's profile looks almost identical...

Godolphin homebred Maxfield (Street Sense) will look to bounce back from his first-ever defeat as the Churchill Downs graded action kicks off Friday with the GII Alysheba S. The 2019 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity hero was forced to miss that year's Breeders' Cup due to injury, and resurfaced a good-looking winner of the track-and-trip GIII Matt Winn S. some 11 months ago, only to be knocked off an elongated Triple Crown trail with a condylar fracture. He defeated Sonneman (Curlin) handily in both the Dec. 19 Tenacious S. and Feb....