Kentucky Oaks Report

KENTUCKY OAKS REPORT

APRIL 10, 2009

by Jennifer Caldwell

Two major Kentucky Oaks (G1) contenders lined up this past weekend, but only

one was able to take her final prep before the big event on May 1. RACHEL

ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) continued her domination of the three-year-old filly

ranks with an easy score in the Fantasy S. (G2), but STARDOM BOUND (Tapit) was

unable to transfer her West Coast form to Keeneland in the Ashland S. (G1). Only

one major prep is left for the Kentucky Oaks, and Saturday's Comely S. (G2)

could offer IEAH Stables some hope if LARAGH (Tapit) does well in her seasonal

bow.

Ashland: Stardom Bound's late kick lacked the power that always got

her to the wire first in California when she attempted it at Keeneland on

Saturday in the Ashland. Instead, the gray lass was forced to settle for

third place behind a front-running winner in HOOH WHY (Cloud Hopping) and the

closing GOZZIP GIRL (Dynaformer), who, in my opinion, exited as the best horse

in the race.

Stardom Bound broke well and settled in the rear of the field, as per her

usual running style. Not all that far in front of her was Gozzip Girl, but Hooh

Why was the one leading the way with Be Fair (Exchange Rate) breathing down her

neck. Gozzip Girl got the jump on Stardom Bound turning for home, striding out

while circling the field on the turn. Stardom Bound followed but never unleashed

the dominating kick that had served her so well in the past. Instead, it was

Gozzip Girl who closed ground fast on Hooh Why, just missing the win by a neck

when she ran out of ground late in the 1 1/16-mile event.

Hooh Why may have won, but her connections immediately began making noises

that she'll skip the Kentucky Oaks in favor of running on the grass later.

Co-owner Mark Hoffman has indicated that the American One Thousand Guineas over

Arlington Park's Polytrack and the American Oaks (G1) on Hollywood Park's turf

course are more likely than the Oaks.

With Hooh Why likely out and Stardom Bound's lackluster performance, Gozzip

Girl emerged from the Ashland as a good choice for the Oaks. My only concern for

the Tom Albertrani trainee is her lack of dirt experience. The dark bay miss has

tried dirt only once, finishing sixth in an off-the-turf maiden when making her

career debut at Belmont Park in September. She was shipped to Aqueduct at the

conclusion of the Belmont meet and immediately took her initial win on the turf.

She continued to run on the green prior to the Ashland, racking up wins in the

Herecomesthebride S. (G3) and Coconut Grove S., and managed to transfer that

form to the Polytrack. If she can make the same switch to dirt, Gozzip Girl will

be a force in the Oaks stretch run.

One I was rooting for who didn't do so well was WHAT A PEAR (E Dubai), but

I'm not giving up on the chestnut miss and I hope her connections don't either.

Trained by Joseph Parker, What a Pear ran last in the Ashland after tracking

close to the early pace, but the whole race should be thrown out. She's already

proven herself on dirt, going undefeated in New York, and one bad run on

Polytrack should not keep her from going for the Oaks. What a Pear is one of the

few proven dirt horses out there and she could jump right back into form once

switched back to a natural surface.

Fantasy: While the Ashland was something of a disappointment in terms

of sorting out contenders, the Fantasy at Oaklawn more than lived up to

expectations. Rachel Alexandra was sent off the prohibitive 1-9 favorite against

four rivals and was never threatened in the 8 1/2-furlong event. With jockey

Calvin Borel doing his best imitation of a sideways bobble-head doll, the

distinctive bay pulled off to record an 8 3/4-length score for trainer Hal

Wiggins.

I'm obviously turning into a worrier, because as impressive as Rachel

Alexandra's win was, it left me concerned about how much she actually got out of the

race. With three starts under her girth this season, the three-year-old has

never had a real challenge. It may be that she's just that much better than her

competition but, in a race like the Oaks, having the experience of overcoming

adversity could come in real handy. There's just no telling how the Oaks will

play out, and Rachel Alexandra more than likely won't be able to dictate the

race like she has in her past three starts.

While Rachel Alexandra dominated, AFLEET DECEIT (Northern Afleet) and JUST

JENDA (Menifee) made their final cases for a shot at the big race. Afleet Deceit

has now run second in her past three starts -- twice to Rachel Alexandra and

once to Just Jenda. She managed to turn the tables on that rival, at least, in

the Fantasy, finishing three lengths clear of Just Jenda. That was the same

margin that Just Jenda had over her in the Honeybee S. (G3) prior to the

Fantasy, and either one could earn a piece of the Oaks pie. They more than stack

up against the other likely contenders at this point.

Beaumont: While Wednesday's Beaumont S. (G2) at Keeneland offered a

chance for EVITA ARGENTINA (Candy Ride [Arg]) to argue for her chance at Oaks

glory, the about seven-furlong test proved nothing. Following a rallying win

over the boys in the San Vicente S. (G2) at Santa Anita, the chestnut miss was

facing fillies for the first time since running second in the Santa Ynez S. (G2)

in mid-January. It may have been the layoff of two months, or it may have been

the switch from California synthetic to Kentucky synthetic, but the John Sadler

charge never mounted a challenge and was forced to settle for fourth.

Instead, it was WAR KILL (War Chant) who stepped up to capture her stakes

debut by a half-length over a persistent SELVA (Forest Wildcat). The Kenny

McPeek-trained lass dueled with Selva throughout the race before eventually

getting up at just the right moment. While War Kill has continued to show

improvement since breaking her maiden in December, she may not be quite up to

facing the level of competition she'll meet in the Oaks.

The stretch-out to 1 1/8 miles is also a concern, for both War Kill and

Selva. The latter miss led from the start of the one-mile Tiffany Lass S. at

Fair Grounds in January, but couldn't hold off the rally of Just Jenda on that

day. Considering how that one just lost to Rachel Alexandra, it doesn't bode

well for Selva.

Upcoming: Aqueduct's one-mile Comely is the final shot for many to

convince their connections they deserve to line up for the Kentucky Oaks. One

hoping to do just that is Laragh, who was last seen taking the Hollywood Starlet

S. (G1) on December 13 in gate-to-wire fashion. The IEAH colorbearer will be

trying dirt for the first time in the Comely, but has been working well at

Belmont in preparation for her seasonal bow. This past Sunday she posted a

bullet five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 and she'll get a rider switch to Ramon

Dominguez for the Comely.

DON'T FORGET GIL (Kafwain) has already captured her Oaks prep, taking the

Florida Oaks (G3) by four lengths on March 14, and trainer Mark Hennig is

probably just trying to tighten the screws before the big dance. Don't Forget

Gil hasn't exactly been posting stellar BRIS numbers, but then again neither has

anyone but Rachel Alexandra.

Another with a shot in the Comely is DREAM PLAY (Hennessy). The dark bay miss

captured the Dearly Precious S. by 8 1/4 lengths over Aqueduct's inner dirt on

Valentine's Day and returned to finish second in the Cicada S. (G3) exactly one

month later. The Comely will provide the Kiaran McLaughlin runner a perfect

opportunity to prove she can handle the stretch out past sprint distances.

Regular rider Eddie Castro will retain the mount.