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Oaks Entrants
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Trainer |
Jockey |
Owner |
Breeder |
Hall of Fame trainer Wayne Lukas grew up outside a small farming community in Wisconsin. He earned a Master's Degree in Physical Education at the University of Wisconsin. He began training horses in South Dakota, and then settled in California in 1972. He trained quarter horses there for six years, then began training Thoroughbreds in 1978. He is the most successful trainer in the history of the Breeders' Cup, has trained a record 22 Eclipse champions, has won four leading trainer Eclipse awards, and has saddled the winners of more than 550 graded stakes. He has won 13 Triple Crown races and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1999. Like many basketball coaches and their assistants, many of his former aides have gone on to successful training careers, including Todd Pletcher, Dallas Stewart, Kiaran McLaughlin, and Mark Hennig. He has won four Kentucky Derbys, tied for second with H. J. Johnson and behind only six-time winner Ben A. Jones, and has started a record 42 horses in the race. |
Leparoux, 22, is a fast-rising star on the riding stage, recently emerging as leading rider at Turfway Park in winter of 2005-2006 before going on to be the co-leading rider for the Keeneland spring meet - all since starting to ride professionally just in August of 2005. Leparoux won Turfway's riding title in style, setting a new meet record with 167 wins from 529 mounts, boasting an amazing 32 percent win percentage and 64 percent in-the-money performance. Beginning as a stable hand and exercise rider in France, Leparoux moved to the U.S. in 2003 to go to work as an exercise rider for trainer Patrick Biancone, who gave Leparoux his initial opportunity to ride professionally as an apprentice at Saratoga last summer. Ex Caelis will be Leparoux's first start in a major 3-year-old race. |
Circle C Stables is composed of the two southern Illinois-based lifelong friends Jeffrey Cooper and Johno Kabbendjian. Cooper is a partner in the SimmonsCooper LLC law firm, of which Kabbendjian is an investigator for. Growing up in Fairmount Park, both attended the races at a young age. The pair owns horses of all ages and levels, and employs such top trainers as D. Wayne Lukas, Todd Pletcher, Dallas Stewart and Christophe Clement to campaign their horses. |
Barnett Enterprises is a Coolmore entity that has bred several premier racehorses, including top siblings Superfly and Andromeda's Hero. |
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04.17.06 - Ready To Please Takes Fantasy In Wild Finish
04.14.06 - Ready to Please Wins Wild Fantasy
04.10.06 - Eight Fillies Entered In Oaklawn's Fantasy
03.10.06 - Ex Caelis Records First Work Since Breeders' Cup
03.05.06 - "All Others" Favored Over Wild Fit, Balance, Champion Folklore In Pool 2 Of Kentucky Oaks Future Wager
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DRF Past Performances
Next Race: 05.05 Kentucky Oaks (GI)
Future Wager Odds
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Pool # |
Date |
Horse # |
Final Odds |
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3 |
04.06-09 |
9 |
18-1 |
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2 |
03.02-05 |
8 |
30-1 |
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1 |
01.26-29 |
9 |
24-1 |
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Race History :: Graded Earnings: $182,920 (as of 04.14.06) - Race Record: 6-1-2-1
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Date |
Race |
Finish |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
Comments |
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04.14.06 |
Fantasy (GII) |
4th |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
Bothered top stretch by Miss Norman, weakened |
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10.29.05 |
BC Juvenile Fillies (GI) |
4th |
Chart |
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Video |
Bumped start, just missed third to Original Spin |
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10.07.05 |
Alcibiades (GII) |
2nd |
Chart |
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Video |
Couldn't catch winner loose on the lead |
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09.18.05 |
Arlington BC Lassie (GIII) |
2nd |
Chart |
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Video |
Bumped start, led briefly stretch, couldn't contain Original Spin late |
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08.21.05 |
Maiden Special Weight @ Saratoga |
1st |
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Vied on rail, drew away late from solid group of maidens |
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07.31.05 |
Maiden Special Weight @ Saratoga |
3rd |
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Wide, nice late run in debut |
Recent Workouts
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Date |
Track |
Distance |
Time |
Rank |
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04.29 |
Churchill Downs |
6 furlongs (fast) |
1:15.00 B |
11/11 |
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04.23 |
Churchill Downs |
5 furlongs (fast) |
1:02.80 B |
29/48 |
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04.08 |
Churchill Downs |
5 furlongs (muddy) |
1:03.20 B |
8/12 |
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03.29 |
Churchill Downs |
6 furlongs (fast) |
1:13.40 B |
1/3 |
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Ex Caelis has one of the lovelier pedigrees of any of the Oaks hopefuls. She is a daughter of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus out of a mare by the great Nijinsky II. The breed represents the classic Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer cross that has produced several of modern day racing's top stars.
Fusaichi Pegasus was truly one of the more exciting horses to race in the past decade. A regally bred son of Mr. Prospector out of a Danzig mare that is a full sister to Pine Bluff, Fusaichi Pegasus had the looks and pedigree to command $4 million as a yearling at auction, and that proved to be a bargain, as he went on to turn in one of the more impressive Kentucky Derby performances in recent times. He has gotten off to a solid start at stud, stamping most of his progeny with quality and the ability to get a route of ground.
La Barberina, Ex Caelis' dam, had a short career on the race track in France, never winning in limited starts, but she hails from a wonderful family of top class performers, which has allowed her to pass down quality as a broodmare. La Barberina is by Nijinsky II ('70 English Triple Crown winner) out of a stakes winning Riva Ridge ('72 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner) mare, and she is a half sister to a couple stakes winners that produced some graded stakes winners. Adding depth to this immaculate pedigree, the third dam is by two-time champion Tom Fool, who was an immensely important stallion in the 50's that passed along substantial quality and stamina.
Ex Caelis is 3x4 to Northern Dancer and 4x5 to Native Dancer.
Dosage Index: 2.04 |
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EX CAELIS makes just her second start of the year after culmunating 2005 with a solid fourth, beaten just six lengths, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI). With just one win to her credit, in a maiden sprint last August at Saratoga, she appears to be at a class disadvantage compared to some of her rivals. In her lone race this year, she was fourth in the Fantasy (GII) last month at Oaklawn. She appeared to be bothered by the erratic Miss Norman nearing the quarter pole in that race, but probably was running out of steam at that point regardless. Would have to think that she needed the race and should improve off the effort. This daughter of 2000 Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus looks fit when training, but has not turned in particularly fast works leading up to the race. She would be a shocker, as the 20-1 morning line indicates, but Lukas has pulled plenty of unexpected wins in big races. The numbers say she will have to run a lifetime best to win this.
- Mark Hoard |
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Oaks Information
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