Oaks Updates

WEST/SWEET FOURTY, WELL HIDDEN SET FOR DUEL IN WINSTAR OAKS - Saturday's $250,000 WinStar/Sunland Park Oaks, New Mexico's top race for 3-year-old fillies, has attracted a competitive six-horse field headed by fillies saddled by two of racing's hottest young trainers.

Michael House's Sweet Fourty, trained by Jeff Mullins, has been installed as a narrow 8-5 favorite over Vinery Stable LLC, R.B. Newton, et al's Well Hidden, who represents the barn of Steve Asmussen, the leader in victories by U.S. trainers in 2006 and in the past two years.

Sweet Fourty, a Florida-bred daughter of Sweetsouthernsaint who is nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, finished a close second to Kentucky Oaks favorite Balance in her most recent start in the $100,000 Sharp Cat on Nov. 27 at Hollywood Park. She started her career at Florida's Calder Race Course, where she won at first asking and later scored an 8 ½-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race that was taken off the turf. Sweet Fourty moved to Mullins' care after that race and turned in her strong effort in the Sharp Cat to improve her career record to 2-1-0 in six races with earnings of $59,000.

Victor Espinoza will travel to Sunland Park to ride Sweet Fourty.

Unbeaten Well Hidden, a daughter of More Than Ready, won the Island Fashion Stakes for her third win in as many starts. She has earned $45,600 and will be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan. Asmussen's filly is not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks.

The field for the WinStar/Sunland Park Oaks, from the rail out, includes: Legally Wild (Michael Ziegler); Sweet Fourty (Espinoza); Princess Patricia (Ricardo Jaime); Well Hidden (Bridgmohan); Starzaflame (Miguel Perez); and Visual Effect (Ken Tohill).

Visual Effect and Legally Wild finished 2-3 behind Well Hidden in the Island Fashion.

MIDWEST/OAKS FAVORITE BALANCE ARRIVES IN KENTUCKY FOR DATE IN ASHLAND - Amerman Racing's Balance, the favorite for the 132nd running of the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) at Churchill Downs on May 5, arrived in Kentucky on Thursday to continue her preparations for a run in next week's $500,000 Ashland Stakes (GI) on April 8.

The dominating winner of the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) and Las Virgenes (GI) is stabled at Keeneland for trainer David Hofmans.

Before departing from Hofmans' home base in Southern California, the daughter of 1995 Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Thunder Gulch turned in a solid six-furlong work at Santa Anita on Wednesday. She covered the distance in 1:12 over a "fast" track under exercise rider Charlene Hunt. Hofmans said Balance would have one breeze in Kentucky before the Ashland.

Victor Espinoza will ride Balance in the 1 1/16-mile Ashland. Hofmans' filly has a career record of 4-1-1 in six races with earnings of $513,300.

Accompanying Balance on the flight from California was STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood's Kentucky Oaks candidate Itty Bitty Pretty. The El Corredor filly, who is also scheduled to run in the Ashland, won the Santa Ysabel (GIII) at Santa Anita for trainer Doug O'Neill before she finished third to Balance and Wild Fit in the Las Virgenes.

Other fillies considered "likely" or "possible" for the Ashland include Hollywood Starlet (GI) winner Diplomat Lady; Florida Oaks (GIII) winner Bushfire; Davona Dale (GII) winner Wait A While; Golden Rod (GII) winner French Park; Stonerside Forward Gal (GII) winner Miraculous Miss; and Martha Washington runner-up Sweet Sugaree.

Diplomat Lady, French Park, Miraculous Miss and Sweet Sugaree are also nominated to the $250,000 Stonerside Beaumont (GII) on April 13. That race, which is run at the Beard Course distance of seven furlongs and 184 feet, was a successful Oaks prep for Marylou Whitney's Bird Town, who won the 2003 Kentucky Oaks after finishing second to My Boston Gal in the Beaumont. Last year's Stonerside Beaumont was won by Live Oak Plantation's In The Gold, who then finished second to Summerly in the Kentucky Oaks.

Top Notch Lady To Supplement To Kentucky Oaks - Robert J. Wilson's Bourbonette Breeders' Cup (GIII) winner Top Notch Lady was expected to head back trainer Mark Casse's home base at Canada's Woodbine Race Course after last week's win at Turfway Park, but instead she is getting used to new surroundings at Churchill Downs.

The 3-year-old daughter of Sultry Song, whose Bourbonette Breeders' Cup win came in her first race away from Woodbine, is now being pointed toward the Kentucky Oaks. The filly is not nominated to the race, but Casse said he would make Top Notch Lady a supplemental entry for the 1 1/8-mile "Derby for Fillies" scheduled for Friday, May 5 at Churchill Downs.

Casse made his decision on an Oaks bid after watching Top Notch Lady rally from far back to win the one-mile Bourbonette over a polytrack surface at Turfway that he believed to be biased against late-running horses.

"Nothing won from very far back and nobody ran anybody down in the run down the lane, so I kind of thought we were up against it," said Casse. "Going into the first turn we were six or seven wide and we were wide down the backside, and this was a filly that hadn't ran in over four months. And she still, against the bias, was able to win the race."

Casse was impressed with her win over solid competition and thinks that her physical make-up makes her a strong candidate for the Oaks.

"It wasn't an easy bunch - I thought it was a very competitive race," he said. "And the biggest thing of all is the filly is about 17 hands tall and she doesn't have a great turn of foot. She's more of a real strong galloper and the mile and an eighth (in the Oaks) is going to help her. I just think with the one big mare of Lukas' (2005 juvenile filly champion Folklore) being out, it's just a real competitive race. I might get there on Oaks Day and think maybe I was nuts, but I think, all in all, that she's going to move forward and she's going to like a mile and an eighth."

The return to Churchill Downs for the Oaks is more exciting to Casse because he trained at the Louisville track early in his career and one is first clients was Wilson, who lives in Indianapolis, Ind.

"I've trained for Mr. Wilson since I was 17 years old, and you don't get this opportunity very often," Casse said. "He's excited about it."

The supplemental nomination fee for the Oaks is $25,000, or five percent of the purse. That's an additional risk for Wilson and Casse as they match their filly among a group of stars that is expected to be headed by Grade I winners Balance and Wild Fit, but Casse said his filly deserves a shot at the big prize.

"She's earned it," said Casse. "She's won over $300,000, so she's paid her way."

The Bourbonette Breeders' Cup win improved Top Notch Lady's career record to 4-2-0 in seven races and boosted her bankroll to $312,678.

Stabled at Churchill Downs with Top Notch Lady is Bill Farish's Seaside Retreat, the runner-up to With A City in the Lane's End Stakes (GII) at Turfway. Casse said the son of King Cugat was being pointed to the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (GI), but would run first in Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass (GI) on April 15.

Ex Caelis Breezes At Churchill Downs - Circle C Group Stable's Ex Caelis continued her strong training for her return to competition with a six-furlong breeze on Thursday, March 30 at Churchill Downs.

The D. Wayne Lukas-trained daughter of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus covered the distance over a "fast" track in 1:13.40 - the fastest of three moves at the distance. Lukas has mentioned the $250,000 Fantasy (GII) at Oaklawn Park as a possible spot for her return to competition.

She has not raced since a fourth-place finish behind stablemate Folklore in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI). She underwent surgery to remove a bone chip after that race.

EAST/CANTORA FAVORED IN LAUREL'S SMART HALO - Tavner Dunlap's homebred Cantora, narrowly beaten by then unbeaten Celestial Legend in the Wide Country Stakes last time out, heads a field of nine 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $75,000 Smart Halo Stakes at Laurel Park.

Each of the fillies entered in the six-furlong race is seeking her first success in stakes competition. Cantora, who is trained by Scott Lake and ridden by Jose Caraballo, has been installed as the 2-1 favorite in the morning line for the Smart Halo although she is turning back to a sprint distance after her heartbreaking loss in the one-mile Wide Country.

"She's going tremendous," said Lake. "I'm not concerned about the turn-back in distance. She was sharp last time out and got a little tired going one-mile. She missed a little training before that race due to minor illness."

The daughter of 1997 Kentucky Derby runner-up Captain Bodgit brings a career record of 1-1-2 in six starts into Saturday's race.

Conover Stable's Sea Pines, with Laurel's leading rider Rosie Napravnik in the saddle, is the 5-2 second choice for trainer Greg Wilson.

Neither of the top two choices in the Smart Halo is nominated to the Kentucky Oaks.

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