Kentucky Oaks

The big story last week was the return of Eclipse Award winner Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) in the GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks, which she won by a nose over Hidden Connection (Connect) to stay unbeaten in five career starts. There will be plenty going on Saturday, with Secret Oath (Arrogate) stepping outside of her division to take on males in the GI Arkansas Derby and Kathleen O. (Upstart) looking to stay hot in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks. A GI Kentucky Oaks contender could also come out of the...

Though Secret Oath (Arrogate) will meet males Saturday in the GI Arkansas Derby, Hall of Fame trainer Wayne Lukas has been saying all along that the main goal for her remains the GI Kentucky Oaks. That's starting to change. "First of all, we have to assume she is going to run a top race in the Arkansas Derby," Lukas said. "(Owner-breeder) Rob Mitchell and I were talking three weeks ago and he said he wanted to go in the Oaks. Since then, he's brought up the Derby two or three...

With the GI Kentucky Oaks fast approaching, the racing world has been anxiously awaiting the return of 2021's leading lady, undefeated champion juvenile filly Echo Zulu (Gun Runner). Hammered down to 1-9 favoritism in what appeared to be a group of overmatched rivals, Echo Zulu left her fans holding their breath in the lane when confronted by a determined Hidden Connection (Connect). However, the Eclipse winner summoned all her class to eke out the victory, keeping her perfect record in tact and stamping her ticket to the First Friday in...

Undefeated champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) makes her highly anticipated seasonal bow Saturday in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Flashing her talent with an impressive debut at Saratoga July 15, the $300,000 KEESEP acquisition had things her own way from start to finish in that venue's GI Spinway S. Sept. 5, winning by four lengths. She took no prisoners next out Belmont, romping by 7 1/4 lengths in the GI Frizette S. Oct. 3 and was equally dominant in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies S....

The Churchill Downs spring/summer, which will include an Arlington Million Day card transplanted from the shuttered Chicago racetrack, will offer a record 53 stakes races worth $20.37 million. The 44-day Spring Meet is highlighted by the $3-million GI Kentucky Derby May 7 and will run from Apr. 30-July 4. With the coordination of Ellis Park and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Churchill will host a special Arlington Million Day Aug. 13. The card will feature  four stakes cumulatively worth $2 million: the $1-million GI Arlington Million; $500,000 GI Beverly D....

Evidently she's no Busher, to look at. Between 2011 and 2018, in fact, she changed hands four times as a pregnant mare at Keeneland, her value gradually declining until the late Mike Recio was able to purchase her for just $13,000. The previous evening, Recio had called Dan Zanatta, founding/managing partner of Final Furlong Racing with Vince Roth, and announced: "Tomorrow morning, I'm buying you a broodmare." Zanatta was not enthused. Final Furlong was evolving nicely, syndicating New York-bred fillies. Though they did have one broodmare, apart from pinhooking weanlings,...

It was a big weekend for the 3-year-old fillies with prep races for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks held at Aqueduct, Santa Anita, Gulfstream and Turfway. Secret Oath (Arrogate) remains on top for Wayne Lukas, but it was tempting to move Kathleen O. (Upstart) to the top spot after another impressive win, this time in the GII Davona Dale S. In California, the Bob Baffert-trained Eda (Munnings) won the GIII Santa Ysabel S., but until the Baffert horses are nominated to the Oaks they won't be included in our rankings....

Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), the dominant winner of this past Saturday's GII San Felipe S. owned by micro-share syndicate MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, has been installed the 5-1 morning-line favorite in the fourth of five Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pools. Wagering will be offered Friday through Sunday. The 24 betting interests are as follows (new interests denoted with an asterisk): #1 Barber Road (Race Day, 50-1); #2 Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute, 50-1); #3 Charge It* (Tapit, 30-1); #4 Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway, 15-1); #5 Cyberknife* (Gun Runner, 50-1);...

Baoma Corporation's Eda (Munnings), making her first start since winning the GI Starlet S. last December, went wire-to-wire to win the GIII Santa Ysabel S. by a half-length over her late-closing stablemate Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) at Santa Anita Sunday. Sent off at 3-1, Eda stepped right out to the early lead as even-money favorite Under the Stars sat just off her flank while racing three wide down the backstretch with Ain't Easy (Into Mischief) to her inside. Jockey Juan Hernandez asked Eda for more approaching the quarter-pole...

Winngate Stables LLC's very promising Kathleen O. (Upstart) remained undefeated and stamped herself as a leading GI Kentucky Oaks contender with another impressive victory in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream. Backed down to 2-1 favoritism from a 9-2 morning line, the rail-drawn dark bay trailed the deep field of seven early. Up a spot into sixth following an opening quarter in :23.38, she was under a ride rounding the far turn while racing in between horses. Stuck in a little traffic approaching the quarter pole, Javier Castellano found...

It stands to reason, I guess, that the fountain of youth--the quest for which supposedly brought the first conquistadores to the shores of Florida--should instead turn out to be in Hot Springs. Certainly it seems as though there must indeed be something in those celebrated Arkansas waters, judging from the eternal vigor of an 86-year-old trainer based at Oaklawn this winter. For a moment last Saturday, D. Wayne Lukas was going to sweep both Classic trials, Ethereal Road (Quality Road) just losing focus in the final strides of the GII...

What to do with the Bob Baffert-trained horses? Up until now, we have been including them in the TDN Kentucky Oaks rankings, believing that they'd find a way into the race. Either their owners would move them to another trainer or Baffert would find a way through the courts that would allow them to enter. But when the story broke last week that Baffert had not nominated a single horse to the GI Kentucky Oaks we decided to drop them from the rankings and won't include them again until there...