Kentucky Oaks draws overflow of 15; Grace Hall installed as 5-2 favorite

Kentucky Oaks draws overflow of 15; Grace Hall installed as

5-2 choice

Grade 1 winners Grace Hall, Eden's Moon and Karlovy Vary, plus the presence

of local favorite On Fire Baby, highlight a full field of three-year-old fillies

entered Tuesday for Friday's 138th running of the $1 million Kentucky Oaks to be

run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.

The Grade 1 race, won last year by Plum Pretty, highlights a 12-race program

that begins at 10:30 a.m. (EDT) and features five other stakes. Post time for

the Oaks is 5:45 p.m.

Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and The Elkstone Group's Grace Hall, the morning

line favorite at 5-2, won the Grade 1 Spinaway last summer at Saratoga and in

her lone Churchill Downs start finished second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup

Juvenile Fillies. Trained by Tony Dutrow, Grace Hall comes into the Oaks off a 6

1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Javier Castellano has the mount on Grace Hall, who will break from post position

two.

On Fire Baby and Broadway Alibi are the co-second choices on the morning line at

4-1.

On Fire Baby, winner of the Grade 2 Pocahontas and Grade 2 Golden Rod at

Churchill last fall, is the half-sister of High Heels, who finished third in the

2007 Kentucky Oaks behind Rags to Riches for owner Anita Cauley, trainer Gary

Hartlage and jockey Joe Johnson. Winner of the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park

in her most recent start, On Fire Baby will break from the innermost post

position.

E. Paul Robsham Stables' Broadway's Alibi, runaway winner of the Grade 3 Comely

and Grade 2 Forward Gal this year, is trained by Todd Pletcher, who sent out

Ashado (2004) and Rags to Riches (2007) to Oaks victories. John Velazquez, who

won the 2004 Oaks on Ashado, has the call on Broadway's Alibi, who will break

from post position six.

Kaleem Shah's Eden's Moon, trained by two-time Oaks-winning conditioner Bob

Baffert, won the Grade 1 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita before finishing third four

weeks later in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks. Martin Garcia, who has been aboard

Eden's Moon in all four of her starts, has the mount Friday and will exit post

position four.

Alex Campbell Jr.'s Karlovy Vary enters the Oaks off a front-running victory in

the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland on April 7. Trained by Rusty Arnold, Karlovy

Vary will break from post position 11 under James Graham.

Two other Grade 2 winners are in the field, including one with connections to a

previous Oaks winner.

Brereton Jones' Believe You Can comes into the Oaks off a victory in the Fair

Grounds Oaks for trainer Larry Jones. The same owner-trainer combination claimed

the 2008 Kentucky Oaks with Proud Spell. Rosie Napravnik will have the mount on

Believe You Can, who will break from post position nine.

The other Grade 2 winner in the field is Peras International's Yara, who pulled

a 64-1 shocker in the Davona Dale in which she defeated Grace Hall. Trained by

Jose Garoffalo, Yara will be ridden by Jesus Castanon and break from post

position 14.

Gillian Campbell, R Group Management and Greenwood Lodge Farm's Summer

Applause, trained by Bret Calhoun, won the Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra at Fair

Grounds before a runner-up finish in the Fair Grounds Oaks to Believe You Can.

Garrett Gomez will be aboard Summer Applause for the first time in the Kentucky

Oaks and breaks from post position three.

The field for the 138th Kentucky Oaks from the rail out with morning line odds,

is as follows: On Fire Baby (Johnson, 4-1), Grace Hall (Castellano, 5-2), Summer

Applause (Gomez, 15-1), Eden's Moon (Garcia, 12-1), Hard Not to Like (Robby

Albarado, 20-1), Broadway Alibi (Velazquez, 4-1), Sacristy (Mike Smith, 50-1),

Jemima's Pearl (Joe Talamo, 10-1), Believe You Can (Napravnik, 10-1), And Why

Not (Julien Leparoux, 15-1), Karlovy Vary (Graham, 20-1), Colonial Empress

(Corey Nakatani, 50-1), Amie's Dini (Jon Court, 10-1), Yara (Castanon, 30-1).

Also Eligible: Oaks Lily (Rafael Bejarano, 50-1). All starters will carry 121

pounds.