Oaks Updates

SOUTHEAST/BUSHFIRE UPSETS IN TAMPA’S FLORIDA OAKS - Ron and Ricki Rashinski’s Bushfire rebounded from a last-place finish in the Davona Dale (GIII) at Gulfstream Park to score a front-running upset in Saturday’s $200,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs.

Jockey John Velazquez rode the Florida-bred daughter of Louis Quatorze, who held off Saratoga Drive by three-quarters of a length. Favored Crystal Current, owned by the Kinsman Stable of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, finished third.

“She handled it perfect, a little on the aggressive side in the first part of the race, but finally she got to relax on the backside,’’ Velazquez said. “From then on it was all her, I was going to wait on her. In the stretch, she was pulling up and waiting till [Saratoga Drive] got up to her, then she started running again.”

Trainer Eddie Kenneally said that Bushfire had floundered on the “sloppy” Gulfstream track in the Davona Dale. “We took a shot in the slop because we didn’t know if she’d care for it or not,” said Kenneally. “She came back with a good effort. Next time we can have her relax early.”

Bushfire covered the 1 1/16-mile distance over a “fast” track in 1:46.25. Kenneally, who is based most of the year at Churchill Downs, said that Bushfire’s next start could come in the Ashland (GI) at Keeneland or the Fantasy (GII) at Oaklawn Park.

Aunt Henny Takes Herecomestheride - Erdenheim Farm’s Aunt Henny - the post time favorite following the pre-race scratch of heavily favored J’ray - held off a late rally from Diamond Spirit to win the $100,000 Herecomesthebride (GIII) for 3-year-old fillies on the Gulfstream Park turf.

Ridden by Javier Castellano for trainer Michael Matz, the daughter of Hennessy covered the 1 1/8-mile distance in a solid 1:46.88 on “firm” turf.

Aunt Henny had raced four times on the dirt before she notched her first career victory in a race on the grass at Gulfstream Park in January. She followed that with a runner-up finish in an allowance race on the turf, which prompted Matz to take a shot at the Herecomesthebride.

“We had worked this filly on turf before she broke her maiden and she worked great,” said Matz. “We thought she might be just a sprinter, but now it looks like we can get some distance with her on the turf.”

Miss Shop finished third. Aunt Henny improved her record to 2-2-2 in seven races and has earned $103,710. Three-year-old fillies will compete on Monday in the fillies division of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Championship Stakes at the OBS Training Center. The race is part of the four-race OBS Championship series, which requires that entrants have passed through the sales ring of an OBS auction.

The $100,000 race for fillies attracted a field of seven that includes three fillies that finished behind Crystal Current in the Suncoast at Tampa Bay Downs. The Suncoast fillies in the OBS race include runner-up Saffronista, fourth-place finisher Excellerant, and eighth-place finisher Chic Cat.

EAST/WILD GAMS ROMPS IN CICADA - Maryland-based Celestial Legend entered Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada (GIII) at Aqueduct with a perfect record in six starts, but it was New Jersey-bred Wild Gams ($7.40) that ran away with the victory.

The Ben Perkins, Jr.-trained daughter of Forest Wildcat wore down Celestial Legend in the stretch and drew away to a 3 ½-length victory under jockey Eibar Coa. Celestial Legend finished second and Oprah Winney was 2 ½-lengths farther back in third.

It was the third consecutive win for Wild Gams and her fourth in seven races. "She actually did better today than her previous two victories," said Coa. "Today, she ran against better horses and she proved she has been improving. Today, I was very happy with the way she ran.”

Wild Gams covered six furlongs over a “fast” track in 1:09.66. Despite the fact that Celestial Legend lost for the first time in her career, trainer Dale Capuano said he was pleased with the effort.

“She ran great,” said Capuano. “She just got outrun. She ran as good as she can run.”

MIDWEST/SABATINI LIKELY FOR TURFWAY’S BOURBONETTE - Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith’s Sabatini, third to Diplomat Lady and Balance in the Hollywood Starlet (GI), could put herself back into the Kentucky Oaks picture with a strong effort in Saturday’s $100,000-added Bourbonette Breeders’ Cup (GIII) on the Lane’s End Stakes undercard at Turfway Park.

The Patrick Biancone-trained daughter of Five Star Day followed her effort in the Starlet with a runner-up finish to Itty Bitty Pretty in the Santa Ysabel (GIII) at Santa Anita, but she has not raced since that Jan. 7 outing.

Sabatini now has a 1-1-1 record in three races, with her victory coming in five-length romp in her career debut at Churchill Downs in November.

Others considered likely for the one-mile Bourbonette Breeders’ Cup include Santa Ynez (GII) winner Dance Daily, Valdale winner Classical Ryder, Bruce Lunsford’s Coronado’s Vision, Lady Danza and Champagne N Glory.

Pin Oak Stud’s homebred Brownie Points, winner of Oaklawn Park’s Martha Washington Stakes, is expected to face a small field of rivals in Saturday’s $75,000 Honeybee Stakes.

The 1 1/16-mile Honeybee is the final major prep for the $250,000 Fantasy (GII), Oaklawn’s key Kentucky Oaks (GI) prep that is set for April 14.

Brownie Points, a daughter of Forest Wildcat trained by Donnie K. Von Hemel, is not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, but could be supplemented at the time of entry with a payment that equals five percent of the race’s $500,000 purse.

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