It’s just a few days now until the Bluegrass State hosts the 142nd running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks! Friday, 5/6/16 at 5:49 P.M. EST be sure to watch the run for the lillies at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.
The Kentucky Oaks is a 1 and 1/8 mile (9 furlong) race on a dirt track at Churchill for 3 year old fillies. Competition began with the Pocahontas race on 9/12/15 at Churchill Downs and ended with the Beaumont at Keeneland 4/17/16. 30 races are qualified to provide the points needed to receive a nomination for the KY Oaks. 14 horses have been selected with an additional “also eligible” horse. Post positions have been drawn and the field is as follows: Post position. Horse/Jockey/Trainer/Owner
- Terra Promessa/Ricardo Sanatana Jr./Steven M Asmussen/Stonestreet Stables, LLC
- Weep No More/Corey Lanerie/George R. Arnold/Ashbrook Farm
- Lewis Bay/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad C. Brown/Alpha Delta Stables
- Go Maggie Go/ Luis Saez/Dale L. Romans/Mike Tarp
- Dream Dance/Brian Hernandez Jr./Neil J. Howard/Stoneway Farm
- Mo Kat/Flaven Prat/Richard Baltas/JK Racing Stable
- Mo d’Amour/Joel Rosario/Todd Pletcher/King of Prussia Stable
- Royal Obsession/Florent Geroux/Steven M. Asmussen
- Paola Queen/Emisael Jaramillo/Gustavo Delgado/Grupo 7 C Racing Stable
- Venus Valentine/Shaun Bridgmohon/Thomas M. Amoss/Rosemont Farm LLC
- Rachel’s Valentina/John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher/Stonestreet Stables, LLC
- Cathryn Sophia/Javier Castellano/John C. Servis/Cash Is King LLC
- Land Over Sea/Mario Guiterrez/Doug F. O’Neill/Reddam Racing LLC
- Taxable/Mike Smith/Steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC
- “Also Eligible”Dothraki Queen/Gary Stevens/Kenneth G. McPeek/Magdalena Racing
Terra Promessa has had 5 career starts and won her last 4 races including two Grade 3 races, The Honeybee and the Fantasy Stakes. She is sired by Curlin.
Weep No More raced for her first time at Churchill but she broke her maiden at Tampa Bay and has not lost a race since then. In 4 of her 5 career starts she has won including her last race, the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes. In that race she beat Rachel’s Valentina and Cathryn Sophia.
Lewis Bay has always been 1st or 2nd place in her 5 career starts. Her last 3 races were all Grade 2. In her final race, the Gazelle Stakes, she beat both Royal Obsession and Mo d’Amour.
Go Maggie Go has only raced twice. That being said she is undefeated and the only horse in the Oaks with that title. She beat Paola Queen in the Grade 2, Gulfstream Park Oaks.
Dream Dance has raced 9 times before. She has finished all over the board but has the experience of 4 graded stakes and she did win her last race, an allowance, at Keeneland.
Mo Kat is one of 2 Uncle Mo sired fillies in the Oaks. The Kentucky Derby is heavy with Uncle Mo progeny as well. She has had 7 starts and though she has not won since her maiden she has placed or showed in 3 graded stakes.
Mo d’Amour is the other Uncle Mo offspring in this field. She has raced 6 times with 3 wins and 2 times in 3rd. Two of these races were graded stakes.
Royal Obsession has had only 4 starts but has won twice and been 2nd in another race. She has been beaten by Venus Valentine before in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and Lewis Bay in the Gazelle.
Paola Queen has 5 races behind her. It took her the 1st four times to break her maiden but then she jumped right into a second place finish in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. Maybe her time has come?
Venus Valentine has been 1st, 4th or 5th in her last 5 of 6 races. She was the winner of the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra however. In her other graded stakes race, her last race, she came in 5th.
Rachel’s Valentina is the favorite. Her dam is Rachel Alexandra, winner of the 2009 KY Oaks. No Oaks winning dam has ever foaled an Oaks winning filly. This could be the 1st time? In her 4 career starts she has won twice and placed twice. Her last 3 races have all been graded stakes races. Pictured above is from her 2nd place finish behind Songbird in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies races. Land Over Sea and Dothraki Queen finished behind her.
Cathryn Sophia won her 1st of 4 races but in her 3rd graded stakes she was 3rd in a tight finish with Weep No More and Lewis Bay. She probably still has what it takes.
Land Over Sea is trained by Doug O’Neill who also trains the KY Derby Favorite, Nyquist. She is experienced with 8 starts. 7 times she has finished in the top 3. Her last 3 races were all graded stakes. This horse has the practice and she won her last time out at the Grade 2, Fair Ground Oaks.
Taxable has only 3 starts to her name. She broke her maiden at Churchill. She shares her trainer, Asmussen, with Terra Promessa. Taxable was 2nd behind Terra Promessa in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes.
Finally, should there be a scratch, Dothraki Queen may get a chance at the Oaks. She has raced 6 times before. Her first race, after her maiden, put her on the path to the Oaks. She won the Pocahontas, the 1st of 5 stakes races but she has never been 1st since and in her last race, the Appalachian stakes, she was 8th.
Fun Facts:
- Lovely Maria won last year
- Rachel Alexandra has the largest winning margin at 20 1/4 lengths
- The 1st race was May 19, 1875
- The official drink is the Grey Goose Oaks Lilly
- The Song is My Old Kentucky Home
- The flower is the Stargazer Lilly, the winner will be blanketed in these
- The Charity is “Bright Pink”, to raise funds for fighting breast and ovarian cancer
- The prizes: a sterling silver statue kept at the Kentucky Derby Museum and engraved with all the winners names, 12 Julep Cups to share and purse money
- The purse is 1 million dollars
- The color is pink
- The channel to watch is NBCSN from 12:30 to 6 PM EST
- Race 1 of the 13 race card at Churchill posts at 10:30 A.M EST
Enjoy the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby Post positions were announced as I was writing this. That story shall follow tomorrow. Keep Thoroughbred U bookmarked as a quick reference for the information you may need.
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