Fiftyshadesofhay asserts her class in Iowa Oaks

Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman's Fiftyshadesofhay was much the

best in Saturday night's Grade 3, $200,000

Iowa

Oaks at Prairie Meadows, drawing off by 3 1/2 lengths as the 121-pound

highweight and 6-5 favorite.

The Bob Baffert trainee broke widest of all from post 10, but jockey Martin

Garcia angled her over into a close stalking spot. As So Many Ways, the 5-2

second choice, carved out fractions of :23 and :46 3/5, Fiftyshadesofhay was

parked within striking distance, and moved to engage the leader passing the

six-furlong mark in 1:11 3/5. The favorite pulled clear entering the stretch,

completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 3/5 on the fast track, and paid $4.60, $3 and

$2.20.

Seaneen Girl, who was receiving seven pounds from the winner, rallied from

just off the pace and overtook So Many Ways by a length for runner-up honors. So

Many Ways was in turn six lengths ahead of fourth-placer Hitechnoweenie. Next

came Gold Medal Dancer, Glorys Last Chance, Canticle, Plenty O'Toole, Cloudy Vow

and Braseana.

Fiftyshadesofhay was scoring her second straight graded victory, having

gotten up in time in the May 17 Black-Eyed Susan last out, and she has now

banked $612,490 to go along with her 10-4-2-2 career mark.. Earlier this season,

the Pulpit filly romped by 5 3/4 lengths in the January 26 Santa Ysabel at Santa

Anita. In the interim, she had placed second in the Las Virgenes and third in

the Santa Anita Oaks to Beholder, the juvenile filly champion and most recently

runner-up in the Kentucky Oaks.

At two, Fiftyshadesofhay took four tries to break her maiden, but improved in

each start until earning her breakout win at Hollywood Park on November 22. She

next made her turf and stakes debut in the January 1 Blue Norther, winding up

eighth, and has remained on dirt ever since.

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Fiftyshadesofhay sold for $175,000 as a

Keeneland September yearling. Her dam, the Real Quiet mare Quiet Kim, also

placed in the Santa Anita Oaks back in 2006.

Fiftyshadesofhay counts as her fourth dam the stakes-winning It's Freezing

mare Ice Fantasy. That one would produce dual Grade 3 victor Fighting Fantasy as

well as the dams of Grade 1 winner Snow Ridge and classic-placed Grade 2 scorer

Sweetnorthernsaint. Afleet Express, hero of the 2010 Travers, is also descended

from Ice Fantasy.

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