This could be a big weekend on the road to the Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) as three major preps are scheduled in Arkansas, Florida and Louisiana. Those races could begin to separate Oaks contenders from pretenders.

LOUISIANA - A small but talented field of six 3-year-old fillies has been entered in Saturday's $300,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), which will serve as the season debut for its top contenders.

Thomas Van Meter II's Victory U.S.A., is the 4-5 morning line favorite although she has been off since a disappointing fourth place finish in Hollywood Park's Hollywood Starlet (GI) in late December. The daughter of 1998 Kentucky Derby runner-up Victory Gallop has won two of six starts and finished third to 2-year-old filly champion Halfbridled in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) for trainer Bob Baffert, who saddled Silverbulletday to win the 1999 Kentucky Oaks. Corey Lanerie will ride.

The 5-2 second choice in the 1 1/16 miles race is Juvenile Fillies runner-up Ashado. The daughter of Saint Ballado, trained by Todd Pletcher, wrapped up her 2003 campaign winning Aqueduct's Demoiselle (GII), one of her three stakes victories. Cornelio Velasquez will travel from Florida to ride Ashado.

Also meriting attention is William S. Farish Jr.'s Shadow Cast, who made the recent Silverbulletday (GIII) her second straight win over the New Orleans track. Jockey Robby Albarado has the mount on the daughter of Smart Strike and will team with trainer Neil Howard in a bid for a weekend sweep of the Fair Grounds' major stakes for 3-year-olds. They will attempt to win Sunday's Louisiana Derby (GII) with Risen Star (GIII) winner Gradepoint. According to the Fair Grounds, Howard could become the first trainer to sweep the track's four major Kentucky Derby and Oaks preps in a single year on two separate occasions. He won the 1992 Risen Star and Louisiana Derby with Line in The Sand and took that year's Silverbulletday (then known as the Davona Dale) with Prospector's Delite.

FLORIDA - A field of five fillies will break from the gate in Saturday's $200,000 Bonnie Miss (GII) at Gulfstream Park, but on paper it appears to be more like a "match race" between two young stars.

The Bonnie Miss favorites are Marjorie & Irving Cowan's Society Selection and Buckram Oaks Farm's Last Song, who ran third and fourth, respectively, in last month's Davona Dale (GII). The H. Allen Jerkens-trained Society Selection won Belmont's Frizette (GI) last fall, but followed that up with a disappointing 10th-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Coronado's Quest is the 4-5 morning-line choice and will be ridden by Jerry Bailey.

Last Song, trained by Carl Nafzger, had won two straight before her Davona Dale effort. The daughter of Unbridled's Song will be ridden by Edgar Prado and is listed at 8-5 in the morning-line.

ARKANSAS - A field of nine fillies has been entered in the $75,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park and the race could provide another big day to a trainer who has enjoyed success on this year's Kentucky Derby trail.

Trainer John Servis, who saddled the unbeaten Derby contender Smarty Jones to win last week's Southwest at Oaklawn, will saddle the Honeybee's favored entry of Stephan's Angel and Foolishly. Also meriting strong consideration in the 1 1/16 miles test are the 1-2 finishers from Oaklawn's Martha Washington, the Eugene Brajczewski-trained Turn to Lass and the Hal Wiggins-trained All Electric.

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