Blind Luck arrives at Churchill

BLIND LUCK (Pollard's Vision), the probable favorite for Friday's Kentucky

Oaks (G1), made it to Louisville, Kentucky, a little late, but arrived at

Churchill Downs at roughly 10:30 p.m. (EDT) Saturday.

Storms and rain across the country and in the Louisville area made her trip

from Southern California longer than expected, but the multiple Grade 1 queen

was bedded down in Barn 42 by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's

right-hand-traveling-man Galen May and caught a good night's sleep.

"She's fine," May reported early Sunday. "She came in with him (throwing a

thumb toward a big colt in the stall next to her) and they are both OK."

The "him" in this case was a colt named Chocolate Candy (Candy Ride [Arg]),

whom racing fans should remember as a Kentucky Derby (G1) runner (he finished

fifth) last year. Hollendorfer trains that colt and has brought him back to

Kentucky to run in the $150,000 Alysheba S. (G3) at 1 1/16 miles on the Kentucky

Oaks Day undercard.

May indicated that both horses would be on the track Monday with exercise

rider Archie Cross designated as their partner.

Blind Luck is coming off an impressive victory in the Fantasy S. (G2) at

Oaklawn Park. Back home in Southern California, she had worked six furlongs in

1:14 4/5 at Hollywood Park on Friday.

Two other Oaks fillies arrived at Churchill Downs after 10 a.m. Sunday --

Ashland S. (G1) near-misser IT'S TEA TIME (Dynaformer) and Grade 3-placed BELLA

DIAMANTE (Lost Soldier).

It's Tea Time made the short jaunt from Keeneland for trainer Rusty Arnold,

and she schooled in the paddock Sunday afternoon with the horses in the 5TH

race. Alan Garcia is scheduled to ride the lightly- raced filly in the Kentucky

Oaks.

Bella Diamante, runner-up in last December's Delta Princess S. (G3), had left

Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Saturday night for a 14-hour van ride

to Churchill Downs. Most recently successful in an allowance/optional claimer at

Oaklawn Park, Bella Diamante is housed in Barn 21, Stall 5.

Eddie Milligan Jr., brother of trainer Allen Milligan, will supervise the

conditioning of Bella Diamante until Allen Milligan arrives in Louisville on

Wednesday.

Tempted S. (G3) winner AILALEA (Pulpit) galloped early under Fernando

Espinoza Sunday morning at Churchill Downs.

The Todd Pletcher filly has been riderless thus far coming up to the Run for

the Lillies, but circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of Kentucky Derby

favorite Eskendereya (Giant's Causeway) on Sunday morning may be sending a

jockey her way.

John Velazquez was scheduled to ride Eskendereya, but now may have a new

Derby mount in DEVIL MAY CARE (Malibu Moon), who is wavering between the Derby

and Oaks, but now may be Derby-bound because of the withdrawal. That would leave

the top rider open in the Oaks, and Ailalea would be the likely recipient of his

services.

Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) runner-up CHAMPAGNE D'ORO's (Medaglia d'Oro) chances

of drawing into the Oaks field are looking up as Pletcher appears to be leaning

toward running Devil May Care in the Kentucky Derby.

Champagne d'Oro is 15th on the graded earnings list among fillies under

consideration for the Oaks, making her next in line for the race limited to 14

starters.

"We are all systems go and we're waiting for any potential defections," said

Nick Hines, racing manager for Southern Equine Stables.

Regarding Devil May Care specifically, Hines said: "That certainly opens

things up for us if that happens."

Champagne d'Oro walked the shedrow at trainer Eric Guillot's Churchill Downs

barn the day after an easy six-furlong breeze in 1:16 2/5.

"She's a picture of health," Hines said.             

Beautician has never finished worse than second on dirt (EquiSport Photos) Dual Grade 2 heroine AMEN HALLELUJAH (Montbrook), second to Devil May Care in the Bonnie Miss S. (G2), jogged once around a muddy track at Churchill Downs early Sunday morning under exercise rider Joe Deegan. Dual Grade 1-placed BEAUTICIAN (Dehere) galloped 1 1/2 miles after the morning renovation break under exercise rider Marvin Abrego. The Ken McPeek trainee, who will be ridden in the Oaks by Alex Solis, is set to work Monday. Beautician comes off an eighth-place finish in the Ashland at Keeneland on April 3. That race was on the all-weather Polytrack surface. On dirt, Beautician has raced four times with a victory and three runner-up finishes. Her lone victory came in her career debut at Churchill. Santa Anita Oaks (G1) winner CRISP (El Corredor) returned to the racetrack early Sunday morning for a jog around the big Churchill Downs oval. The John Sadler filly had worked six furlongs in 1:14 3/5 on Friday, then walked the shedrow Saturday. Exercise rider Lupillo Alferez was her partner for the jog.

Crisp will be handled by Joel Rosario on Friday.

Silverbulletday S. (G3) and Tiffany Lass S. victress JODY SLEW (Slew City

Slew) had another easy morning, two days after a half-mile breeze in :48 2/5.

"She just walked today but she's going to school in the 1ST," said Dennis

"Peaches" Geier, assistant to trainer Bret Calhoun.

Jody Slew schooled in the paddock during Sunday's 1ST race at the same time

as trainer Bob Baffert's Derby contenders Lookin at Lucky (Smart Strike) and

Conveyance (Indian Charlie).

Geier said Jody Slew, who was seventh in the Fair Grounds Oaks after missing

training time, will return to the track Monday during the Derby and Oaks

training session for a jog. 

Trainer Dale Romans sent one of his two Kentucky Oaks hopefuls to the track

Sunday morning. While Fair Grounds Oaks star QUIET TEMPER (Quiet American)

walked the shedrow for a second consecutive morning, following a five-furlong

work in 1:03 3/5 on Friday, stablemate SASSY IMAGE (Broken Vow) galloped under

Ramiro Corleto.

Sassy Image is owned by Jerry Romans, Dale's brother. Her status for the Oaks

has been somewhat iffy because of a limited training schedule because of a minor

injury.

"She galloped this morning and may breeze tomorrow, so we still have a

chance," said Jerry Romans, a native Louisvillian and son of former trainer

Jerry Romans who has been around the racetrack all of his life.

"We have winner's circle pictures when Dale and I were two and three years

old at the old Miles Park," Jerry Romans said. "I own five horses. Dale has

three of them and two are yearlings.

"To win the Kentucky Oaks, with all the friends and family we have here in

town, let's say it would be more emotionally rewarding than financially

rewarding."

Seeking the Title is unlikely to draw into the Oaks (EquiSport Photos) SEEKING THE TITLE (Seeking the Gold) went to the track after the renovation for a gallop Sunday morning under exercise rider Pedro Velez, but still needs a lot to happen in the next few days in order to make the Oaks field. The Dallas Stewart filly sits in a tie for 17th on the graded earnings list among fillies targeting the race with $21,000. Even if there were three defections from the anticipated field, Seeking the Title would also need to win a shake with SHEER BEAUTY (Mizzen Mast), with whom she dead-heated for third in the Fair Grounds Oaks, to claim the final spot. The two have the same amount of graded earnings. Seeking the Title has one win to her credit, a February maiden special weight at Fair Grounds. In 2006 Stewart took the Oaks with a 47-1 shot who had never won a stakes race, Lemons Forever.

Sheer Beauty galloped before the morning renovation break under Mario

Convento.

TIDAL POOL (Yankee Gentleman), runner-up to Blind Luck in the Fantasy, 

galloped two miles under Leeanne Bates after the renovation break for Hall of

Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Trainer Mike Maker reported that Bourbonette Oaks (G3) runner-up AGE OF HUMOR

(Distorted Humor), stabled at Trackside Louisville, jogged 1 1/2 miles Sunday

morning during the 6 o'clock hour with exercise rider Marvin Jiminez in the

saddle.

Age of Humor, who is on the outside looking in earnings-wise, will not travel

to Churchill Downs for the Oaks until Thursday, the latest arrival permitted.

Trainer Jim Cassidy reported from his California headquarters that Ashland

heroine EVENING JEWEL (Northern Afleet) had her "usual morning at Santa Anita,"

which in this case meant a jog of about 1 3/4 miles around the Arcadia,

California, oval, then a walk and a bath back at the barn.

"We're good to go," noted the veteran conditioner, who has made arrangements

for the California-bred filly to be flown to Kentucky on Tuesday. Evening Jewel

has finished first or second in seven of her eight lifetime starts and will have

her backers in the nine-furlong Oaks.

Cassidy will ship a day earlier on Monday and expects to be a Churchill Downs

to greet his filly on her arrival. 

At Calder Race Course, stakes winner and multiple Grade 2-placed JOANIE'S

CATCH (First Tour) galloped 1 1/2 miles under jockey Paco Lopez on Sunday

morning.

"She'll do the same tomorrow before we ship," said trainer Barry Rose, who'll

van Joanie's Catch to Churchill Downs.