Wine Princess, daughter of Azeri, wins Monmouth Oaks

Becky Winemiller's Wine Princess turned back a two-pronged challenge from

Proud Pearl and Defy Gravity around the far turn and drew off with authority in

the stretch to land Saturday's Grade 3, $101,000

Monmouth

Oaks. The regally-bred filly finished up 2 1/4 lengths as the 9-5 second

choice and paid $5.60, $3.60 and $2.80.

Allowed to set a moderate pace of :24 2/5, :48 4/5 and 1:12 4/5, Wine

Princess had plenty left in the tank to finish up 1 1/16 miles on the fast main

track in 1:44 under Shaun Bridgmohan. Proud Pearl, a 22-1 outsider, battled

through the stretch with 2-1 third choice Jemima's Pearl and just edged that foe

for second by a nose. The order of finish was completed by Final Escrow, 8-5

favorite Morrow Cove and Defy Gravity.

Wine Princess debuted at Fair Grounds on March 8, finishing second going

about 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. She rebounded to break her maiden by five

lengths over Churchill Downs' one-turn mile on the main track, but proved again

that turf might not be her preferred surface when fourth against allowance foes

in her next start.

Last time, Wine Princess returned to the Churchill dirt and prevailed by 2

1/2 lengths against older foes in a second-level allowance at one mile. Her

record now stands at 5-3-1-0, $138,238.

Bred in Kentucky by the Allen Paulson Living Trust, Wine Princess was a

$475,000 Keeneland September yearling. The three-year-old is the result of a

union between two Horses of the Year -- Ghostzapper and Azeri. The former was

newly enshrined in the Hall of Fame this week while the latter, a Hall of Fame

daughter of Jade Hunter, was also a three-time champion older mare from 2002-04,

an 11-time Grade 1 winner and earner of more than $4 million.

Azeri, who was produced by Australian Group 3 winner Zodiac Miss, has also

reared the Grade 3-placed Arienza. This is the extended family of multiple Grade

1-winning turf miler Silic.

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