Iowa Oaks

Clinton and Susan Atkins' BAGHDARIA (Royal Academy) caught Maggie Slew

(Seattle Slew) in deep stretch to win Friday night's $200,000

Iowa Oaks (G3) by

a half-length. Stalking the pace in third most of the way, the Tom Amoss-trained

filly still had more than two lengths to make up on her rival in the final

sixteenth of a mile and proved very game under Rafael Bejarano, earning her

second stakes victory when finishing 1 1/16 miles over the fast Prairie Meadows

track in 1:43.

Both fillies were sent off at 9-5, but Maggie Slew was the slight second

choice and sprinted to a clear advantage as soon as the gates opened with Julien

Leparoux, establishing early splits in :23 3/5, :47 3/5 and 1:11 4/5 as

Baghdaria rated about three lengths back. Saffronista (Ecton Park) made a run at

the pacesetter on the far turn, but Maggie Slew repulsed that challenge as

she opened back up again at the top of the stretch as Baghdaria took second. Maggie

Slew continued on determinedly, but Baghdaria was too strong on the outside and

eventually ran her down.

"Going down the backside, I told the owner (that Bejarano) is sure a lot more

patient than I would be," Amoss commented. "I would have gone all out to be the

leader. It turned out that that was the right way to ride the filly -- to be

patient. That's why (Bejarano) gets paid the big bucks."

The winner returned $5.60, $3.20 and $2.40 and keyed the $15 exacta with

Maggie Slew, who paid $3.60 and $2.60 to place. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to

Brownie Points (Forest Wildcat), who rallied mildly to take third at 2-1 and

gave back $2.20. The 2-4-3 trifecta yielded a salty $35. Saffronista, Avalon

Place (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Lady Bell Dawn (Clever Trick) rounded out the

order of finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Bentley Smith, the three-year-old Baghdaria was purchased

for $52,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2004 and hails from the

stakes-placed Oatsee (Unbridled). The nine-year-old mare is also the dam of the

unraced juvenile filly Lady Joanne (Orientate), a yearling filly by freshman

sire Orientate and a 2006 filly by Langfuhr. This is the same female family of

three-time Grade 1 queen Tappiano (Fappiano) and recent Shakertown S. (G3)

winner Atticus Kristy (Atticus).

Baghdaria won the Silverbulletday S. (G3) earlier this year and was exiting a

third in the Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2). The bay has now earned $358,490 from a

9-4-0-3 line.