Kentucky Oaks

Big Brown (Boundary) took no prisoners from post 12 with a powerful, wire-to-wire performance in the GI Curlin Florida Derby before capturing the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 2008. It's champion Forte (Violence)'s turn now. Last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, an eye-catching winner while kicking off his sophomore campaign in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4, towers over his 11 rivals on paper in Saturday's Florida Derby. But with a well-documented short run to the first turn going 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream...

Locally based Flying Connection turned in a powerful front-running performance Sunday to stamp her ticket to the GI Kentucky Oaks. The bay closed out last season with a convincing tally in the Zia Princess S., and resurfaced in the local Borderplex S. to be third at 30 cents on the dollar. She bounced back while stretching out to best Love Tank by more than nine lengths in the Island Fashion S. Feb. 28, but had to contend with Bob Baffert-trained invader Doinitthehardway this time. Able to seize a narrow advantage...

Southlawn (f, 3, Pioneerof the Nile--Mo d'Amour, by Uncle Mo), a runaway, eight-length optional claiming winner at Fair Grounds with first-time Lasix in her sophomore debut Feb. 17, ran back to that effort in a big way to upset Saturday's GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Drawn on the fence, the 7-1 chance trailed the field of five heading into the clubhouse turn. Southlawn traveled nicely in an inside fourth down the backstretch and set her sights on the top two as they straightened. Last out GII Rachel Alexandra S. heroine and...

At odds of 2-5 and so highly regarded that she was the only filly included in Round 4 of the Derby Future Wager, Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) was a well-beaten third in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. at the Fair Grounds Feb. 18. It was the last thing trainer Tom Amoss expected from a filly he had called the best horse he ever trained and who was 3-for-3 going in. But as Hoosier Philly prepares for a start in the Mar. 25 GII Fair Grounds Oaks, Amoss said everything he...

Eclipse Award winner Forte (Violence), impressive 4 1/2-length winner of the GII Fountain of Youth S. in his 3-year-old debut Mar. 4, closed as the 3-1 favorite ($8.76 will pay) in the fifth pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, with Saturday's GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby hero and 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) the distance second choice at 8-1 ($18.32). The 'All Other 3-Year-Olds', encompassing any horse not listed among the individual betting interests, closed as the 10-1 ($22.08) third pick, while others to close at 30-1...

Last year's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Oath (f, 4, Arrogate--Absinthe Minded, by Quiet American) returned to the races in style in Saturday's GII Azeri S. at Oaklawn. The 7-5 second choice raced one from the back rounding the clubhouse turn after exiting from the one hole. Racing under a nice hold down the backstretch, she launched her familiar, wide sweeping move on the far turn, hit the front under confident handling in the stretch and had 2 3/4 lengths to spare over favored MGISW Clairiere (Curlin), last seen just...

It continues to be a strange year on the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks. It's been a division where no one seemed ready to step to the front and become a clear leader of the group. That, sort of, changed Sunday in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Sunday at Santa Anita. Faiza (Girvin) stayed undefeated in four starts with a 2 1/4-length win and, under normal circumstances, would have gone to No. 1 on this list. But the filly, who is trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Michael...

Michael Lund Peterson's Faiza (Girvin) kept her record perfect in tact--and gave her sire his second graded win of the weekend--with a stylish victory in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita Sunday. Sent off the 4-5 favorite, the bay filly tracked pacesetting longshot Blessed Touch (Girvin) through moderate fractions of :24.00 and :48.32. She stuck a head in front into the far turn, but Blessed Touch, proving surprisingly determined, battled back and those two rivals turned for home together with And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate) joining the fray...

With her undefeated record on the line, Shidabhuti earned 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with a win in the  Busher S. at Aqueduct Saturday. Dismissed at 5-1 behind heavily favored Asset Purchase, she was forced back after contact at the break to track that favorite from third. Racing alongside Capella up the backstretch, Shidabhuti loomed four wide between rivals as the field swung around the bend and outdrove Asset Purchase down the lane, assuming command with a sixteenth to run and clearing off nicely for the...

D J Stable's Eclipse Award and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) is the marquee name among 103 sophomore fillies that were nominated at the first entry stage for the $1.25-million GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, to be run beneath the Twin Spires Friday, May 5, 2023. The first stage of nominations closed Feb. 18, with a $200 payment. Any 3-year-old filly not among the original entries can become eligible with a fee of $1,500 due no later than Saturday, Apr. 15. Wonder Wheel was four-for-five during...

A federal judge on Friday denied Bob Baffert a preliminary injunction that the Hall of Fame trainer had sought to be eligible to race in this year's GI Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), the defendant in Baffert's year-old lawsuit, also scored a legal victory when Judge Rebecca Jennings of United States District Court (Western District of Kentucky) granted the gaming corporation's motion to dismiss the case on five of the six counts that CDI had argued. Baffert was attempting to reverse the second year of a two-year ban by...

The road to the Kentucky Derby runs through Louisiana Saturday, Feb. 18 and FanDuel TV will be live on-site at Fair Grounds with exclusive coverage of the $400,000 GII Risen Star S. as undefeated Victory Formation (Tapwrit) takes on a field of 12 rivals. There are 50-20-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the line for the top five finishers. In addition to the Kentucky Derby prep race, a Kentucky Oaks prep race on Saturday--the $300,000 GII Rachel Alexandra S.--will feature the 3-year-old seasonal bow of GSW Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief).