Balance favored despite Saturday performance

Multiple Grade 1 queen BALANCE (Thunder Gulch) finished third, 10 3/4 lengths

back of the winner, in Saturday's Ashland S. (G1) at Keeneland, but that didn't

stop horseplayers from making the David Hofmans charge the 4-1 favorite in Pool

3 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager. The bay lass captured the Las Virgenes S.

(G1) and Santa Anita Oaks (G1) prior to Saturday's race and will now begin her

final preparations for the May 5 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.

The Patrick Biancone-trained WILD FIT (Wild Wonder), third in the Santa Anita

Oaks and second by a length in the Las Virgenes, closed as the 8-1 second pick.

She won the Del Mar Debutante S. (G1) as a juvenile and ended her two-year-old

campaign with a good second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Wild Fit

has yet to win this year, but recorded three bullets from her past four

workouts.

BUSHFIRE (Louis Quatorze) was made the third choice at 9-1 off her 6

1/2-length Ashland win. The Eddie Kenneally-conditioned bay owns four wins from

six starts, with her only setbacks coming in her maiden debut, where she

finished third, and the Davona Dale S. (G2), where she ran well back in seventh

over the sloppy track. Closing at 10-1 was TEAMMATE (A.P. Indy), a six-length winner of the Bonnie Miss S. (G2)

last out. She breezed three-quarters on Saturday at Belmont Park, posting a final

time of 1:14 3/5.

The mutuel field closed as the 12-1 fifth choice.

2006 KENTUCKY OAKS

FUTURE WAGER

Official Field - Pool 3

* denotes new wagering

interest in Pool 3

(n) denotes filly not

nominated to Kentucky Oaks