Jones: Maria, Chatterbox 'even' going into Kentucky Oaks

Trainer Larry Jones has a one-two punch leading to the $1 million Kentucky

Oaks (G1) following Lovely Maria's (Majesticperfection) 3 1/4-length

victory in the $500,000 Ashland (G1) Saturday at Keeneland.

Owned by former

Kentucky Gov. Brereton C. Jones, Lovely Maria was exiting a runner-up effort to stablemate I'm a Chatterbox (Munnings) in the Rachel Alexandra (G3) at

Fair Grounds. Fletcher and Carolyn Gray's I'm a Chatterbox, who next won the

Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), now is in the stall adjacent to Lovely Maria.

"Lovely

Maria appears to have come out well," Jones said Sunday morning. "She ate

everything last night, so everything appears to be good."

Jones said Lovely

Maria and I'm a Chatterbox will turn in their final works for the Oaks at

Churchill on the Sunday before the race, "but they'll stay here until then."

The trainer was asked to compare Lovely Maria and I'm a Chatterbox.

"Right now I

would say they're even," Jones said. "As those coaches would say last night (in the

Kentucky-Wisconsin game) when they were tied up at halftime, it was like they're

zero-zero.