Kentucky Oaks

Robert and Lawana Low's $1.05-million 'TDN Rising Star' Spice Is Nice (Curlin), an impressive 12-length victress on debut, will take her first big step toward the GI Kentucky Oaks as a probable favorite in Saturday's one-mile GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream. A daughter of GISW Dame Dorothy (Bernardini), the chestnut was bet strongly to be 11-10 at the off debuting over track and trip Jan. 12 and did not disappoint, squeezing through a narrow rail opening on the turn and rocketing away to a powerful graduation. She has drilled...

A total of 116 nominations, led by reigning champion 2-year-old filly British Idiom (Flashback), were received by the Churchill Downs racing office at the first entry stage for the $1.25-million GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, to be held Friday, May 1 beneath the Twin Spires. Campaigned in partnership by Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables & Bethlehem Stables, and conditioned by 2018 Oaks-winning trainer Brad Cox, British Idiom was the impressive winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last October before following up with a neck defeat of Donna Veloce...

While the GI Kentucky Oaks will always be overshadowed by the GI Kentucky Derby, this year's Oaks has nothing to apologize for. Through the early round of prep races, it appears that the 2020 Oaks will include one of the deepest and most talented lineups in the race's history. That's still the case after the tragic loss of Taraz (Into Mischief), who had to be euthanized after suffering an injury in a workout Monday at Oaklawn Park. The early round of preps have produced some outstanding performances and several top...

Churchill Downs, Derby Divas and Norton Cancer Institute have opened the online nomination process to choose 146 breast and ovarian cancer survivors to march in the Survivors Parade at the 146th Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs Friday, May 1. The 146 participants will be announced Mar. 23. Nominations can be made here. Since the first Survivors' Parade a dozen years ago, Churchill Downs has donated over $1 million to organizations that support the cause of women's health. For the fourth year in a row, Churchill will donate $50,000 to...

As has been well documented, the Fair Grounds road to the GI Kentucky Oaks has been enormously productive over the last 15 years, producing no fewer than eight winners on the first Friday in May, including Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) and Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Finite (Munnings) is well on her way to adding to that impressive total after registering her fifth consecutive victory in Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S., easily lowering the colors of the previously unbeaten Eclipse Award winner British Idiom (Flashback). Away in good...

There's never been a GI Kentucky Derby contender quite like No Parole (Violence), who stayed undefeated when winning Saturday's Premier Night Prince S. at Delta Downs. He may not be the best 3-year-old in the country, but he is certainly the most intriguing. How good is he? It's impossible to tell. His route to the Derby has included a maiden race, an allowance race and the Prince, all races against fellow Louisiana-breds. Normally, anyone winning those races wouldn't register on anyone's radar, but this horse is different. The 'TDN Rising...

Venetian Harbor (Munnings) earned her diploma at second asking in her dirt debut in jaw-dropping fashion going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Dec. 29, and passed her first two-turn test with flying colors here. The bay broke like a shot and the race was pretty much over from there. She ran off by six lengths beneath Flavien Prat through an opening quarter in :23.20, but began to settle much better from there and let the field come back to her through a half mile in :46.72. She left the...

The highly regarded duo of Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) and unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Taraz (Into Mischief) weren't the only 3-year-old fillies to strut their stuff last weekend. Eve of War (Declaration of War) announced her presence by dusting six rivals in front-running fashion on debut for trainer Todd Pletcher at Gulfstream Park Sunday. The Jeff Treadway homebred earned an eye-opening 88 Beyer Speed Figure in the six-furlong affair. For comparison, Harvey's Lil Goil was awarded an 82 Beyer in Sunday's Busanda S. at Aqueduct while Taraz earned an...

The first foals by Grade I-winning multimillionaire Collected (City Zip--Helena Bay, by Johannesburg), have been reported at leading nurseries Airdrie Stud, Anderson Farms and Trackside Farm, Airdrie announced Tuesday. Airdrie Stud resident Believe You Can (Proud Citizen), winner of six stakes including the 2012 GI Kentucky Oaks, foaled a colt by Collected Feb. 1. "We bred the most important mare on our farm to Collected and he has greatly rewarded our faith in him," said Airdrie's Bret Jones. "Believe You Can's colt is an absolutely exceptional foal with the presence...

Harvey's Lil Goil started a bit slowly, but finished fast to dominate Sunday's Busanda S. at Aqueduct and become the fifth black-type winner for her Triple Crown-winning champion first-crop sire--on his birthday no less. A debut fourth on the local lawn Nov. 9, the grey broke through by an emphatic six-length margin going a mile over this good main track Dec. 12 and was heavily supported to see out a additional furlong for this. Away last, Harvey's Lil Goil was hung very wide while trying to make up some ground...

6th-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 2-2, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.01, ft. EVE OF WAR (f, 3, Declaration of War--Special Thanks, by Broken Vow) was pounded down to even-money off a steady, if not overly quick series of drills at Palm Beach Downs (click for XBTV video), but she showed plenty of zip in the afternoon to run up the score Sunday. Slicing through foes soon after the start to take over, she sped away by several lengths heading to the turn and always appeared in a race of her own from that...

The Green family's DJ Stable has privately acquired multiple stakes winner Ceci Valentina (Prospective) from owner/breeder Amalio Ruiz-Lozano and transferred the sophomore filly to trainer Joe Orseno. A winner of the FTBOA Florida Sire Susan's Girl S. at Gulfstream last August and the Juvenile Fillies Sprint S. at Gulfstream Park West in November, the dark bay was last seen finishing fourth beaten just a half-length in Tampa's Gasparilla S. over seven panels Jan. 18. "We just moved her to our barn this morning and want to see how she does...