Kentucky Oaks Preview

Kentucky Oaks Preview
By Anthony Stabile

Though a full field of 20 three-year-old colts and geldings are scheduled to line up Saturday for the G1 Kentucky Derby, only eight fillies are set to go postward in the 135th running of the $500,000 G1 Kentucky Oaks on Friday at Churchill Downs. Perhaps the difference is that the Derby lacks an overwhelming favorite as opposed to the Oaks, which figures to have a prohibitive chalk in Rachel Alexandra.

After starting her career with two wins from five starts, Rachel Alexandra coming into her own at the end of last season when she won the G3 Golden Rod in her first start under Calvin Borel and going two turns. After a ten week layoff, she returned to capture the Martha Washington at Oaklawn for trainer Hal Wiggins before going onto bigger and better things.

Two starts back, Rachel Alexandra turned in an awesome performance in the G2 fair Grounds Oaks which she won over a sloppy course by 1 ¾ lengths despite being geared down for the final eighth of a mile under a jubilant Borel. Last out in the G2 fantasy at Oaklawn, Rachel Alexandra once again toyed with four others, winning by almost nine lengths in gate-to-wire fashion.

Fast enough to lead the way yet handy enough to rate, it appears as if she can dictate the Oaks once again under Borel and has her seven rivals over the proverbial barrel once again. She’ll break from post 6.

Second choice Justwhistledixie likely has the best, and perhaps only chance at upsetting the favorite, though she’d have to improve vastly to catch up to the favorite. Far from a pushover, Justwhistledixie will be seeking her sixth straight win dating back to last October in the Oaks.

A couple of minor stakes at Aqueduct at the end of last and beginning of this year precede scores in the G2 Davona Dale and G2 Bonnie Miss, both run at Gulfstream, in her last two starts. Julien Leparoux returns for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin from post 5.

The Bob Baffert trained Gabby’s Golden Gal made her first start over conventional dirt a winning one in the Sunland Park Oaks last out, making her the only other stakes winner in the field. After going wire-to-wire last out, she may try to take the favorite out of her element early on from post 4, but jockey Victor Espinoza needs to be careful that he doesn’t compromise any chance he has at capturing the Oaks by doing so.

Be Fair won the first two starts of her career before finishing fourth in both the G3 Honeybee and G1 Ashland in her last pair for trainer D.Wayne Lukas. Rafael Bejarano will ride from post 2.

Lukas will run two more fillies in the Oaks, longshot maiden winners Tweeter with Miguel Mena from post 1 and Stone Legacy, who’ll break from post 3 under Kent Desormeaux. Nan, who’s grabbed a minor share in several stakes out in California for trainer Craig Dollase, will break from post 7 under Corey Nakatani while the Bill Mott trained Flying Spur, second in the Fair Grounds Oaks last out, will break from post 8 and gets a new rider in Garrett Gomez.

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