LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 11, 2004) - A leg injury has taken Lee Lewis' Eye Dazzler out of consideration for the 130th Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) on April 30 and Churchill Downs officials have suspended wagering on the 3-year-old filly prior to today's start of betting in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager ("KOFW").

Trainer Mark Hennig told Churchill Downs officials Thursday morning that a chip had been discovered in the left knee of Eye Dazzler, a homebred daughter of Boundary who had finished a close second to Miss Coronado in the Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 7. He said the filly would undergo surgery to remove the chip today and would remain on the sidelines for 60 to 90 days.

"We didn't enter her in the Bonnie Miss (at Gulfstream Park) because she came back a little funky after a workout," said Hennig. "We watched her closely for a few days and finally found a chip in her knee."

Eye Dazzler has a record of 2-2-2 in seven starts with career earnings of $132,040. She scored an easy victory in a January allowance race at Gulfstream Park in the only other race of her 3-year-old season. Her 2-year-old campaign included third-place finishes in Belmont Park's Matron (GI) and Saratoga's Adirondack (GII) and a runner-up finish in Aqueduct's Tempted (GIII).

Kentucky Oaks Future Wager rules state that betting on a wagering interest in any pool must be suspended if it is determined that an illness or injury would prevent that horse from competing in the Kentucky Oaks. There are no refunds in the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.

Pool 2 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager opens its four-day run today at noon (all times Eastern) and betting will conclude at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 14. Real time odds and more information on the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager are available on the Internet at www.kentuckyoaks.com .

The suspension of wagering on Eye Dazzler, who had been listed at 50-1 in oddsmaker Mike Battaglia's morning line, leaves 23 wagering interests in Pool 2. Those interests include the mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-old fillies other than the 22 remaining individual betting interests in the pool.

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