Oaks Updates

WEST/SWEET FOURTY WINS TAKES WINSTAR OAKS DUEL - Michael House's Sweet Fourty ($3.40), a runner-up to current Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) favorite Balance in the final start of her 2-year-old season, launched her 3-year-old campaign on a successful note with a victory in Saturday's $250,000 WinStar Oaks at New Mexico's Sunland Park.

The daughter of Sweetsouthernsaint, ridden by the sizzling Victor Espinoza, blew past the pacesetting Princess Patricia at the head of the stretch and then held off the late-running Well Hidden to win the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies by a half-length.

Sweet Fourty, who is trained by Jeff Mullins, was one of four stakes winners on the day for Espinoza, who later in the day guided Wanna Runner to an easy victory in the $600,000 WinStar/Sunland Park Derby for 3-year-old colts. Vinery Stable LLC's Well Hidden, who suffered her first loss in four races, finished second under Shaun Bridgmohan and Princess Patricia held on for third. The winner covered the distance in 1:43.73 over a "fast" track.

House, who purchased the filly in Florida last year and turned her over to Mullins, was on hand at Sunland Park to watch Sweet Fourty's win - and to start thinking about her future.

"Victor, as usual, rode her perfectly," House told the El Paso (Tex.) Times. "We'll see how she comes out of the race. Jeff and I will talk about it and decide what to do next."

The victory by Sweet Fourty, who is nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, came in her first start since her runner-up finish to Balance in the $100,000 Sharp Cat at Hollywood Park on Nov. 27. She had launched her career at Florida's Calder Race Course, where she scored two victories - both on "sloppy" tracks in four starts. She took her career debut at five furlongs and cruised in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race, which had been taken off of the turf because of wet weather, by 8 ½-lengths.

Following her purchase by House, she was beaten by Balance in the $65,000 Hidden Lite on the turf at Oak Tree at Santa Anita, but rebounded for her runner-up finish to that talented rival when she returned to the main track in the Sharp Cat.

House said an abscess in the filly's mouth had kept her out of competition since that strong performance. Her WinStar Oaks victory improved Sweet Fourty's career record to 3-1-0 in seven races and boosted her earnings to $209,000.

MIDWEST/FRENCH PARK BREEZES AT CHURCHILL, BEAUMONT NEXT - Steve Stan Stable's French Park, winner of the Golden Rod (GII) and Pocahontas (GIII) last fall at Churchill Downs, completed her serious training for a run in the $250,000 Stonerside Beaumont (GII) at Keeneland with a five-furlong breeze on Sunday at Churchill Downs.

The gray/roan daughter of Ecton Park covered the distance over a "fast" track in 1:01.20 for trainer Helen Pitts. The move under exercise rider Jodi Chapman ranked 11th among 23 at the distance.

Pitts, who had originally pointed her filly to the Ashland, hopes that French Park will bounce back with a strong run in the Stonerside Beaumont following a disappointing effort in Gulfstream Park's Bonnie Miss (GII). She finished last day in a field of seven and Pitts said she believes variety of factors, including a lung infection, contributed to that poor performance.

"She had a nice work," said Pitts. "We'll probably just come back and go an easy half before the Beaumont. I think she's doing very well."

Pitts is hoping to restore French Park's confidence in the Beaumont. The race will be run for the 21st time on Thursday, April 13.

"I want to give the filly her best shot, so we'll point for the Beaumont and see how she does," said Pitts. "If she runs a good race, we'll point her for the Oaks."

The Beaumont, a one-turn race run at Keeneland's Beard Course distance of seven-furlongs and 184 feet, has been a strong Kentucky Oaks prep in recent years. Marylou Whitney's Bird Town ran second to My Boston Gal in the 2003 Beaumont and then scored an upset win in the Oaks, while last year's winner Live Oak Plantation's In The Gold, was the runner-up to Oaks winner Summerly. Christiana Stable's champion Go For Wand won the 1990 Beaumont for trainer Bill Badgett, but was upset in the Kentucky Oaks by Overbrook Farm's Seaside Attraction, one of four Oaks winners for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

"The Ashland is a tough spot," said Pitts. "It's not that she can't run with those horses, but in all hopes for the Oaks, you'd hate to go in there against some really top fillies and not run as good as you hoped. So, we'll kind of take the easier route and see where we stand."

After posting an unbeaten slate in three starts in 2005, the Bonnie Miss marked her second loss in as many races at three. She was narrowly beaten by longshot Baghdaria in her season debut in the Silverbulletday (GIII) at the Fair Grounds at Harrah's Louisiana Downs meet. Then came her disappointing run behind Teammate in the Bonnie Miss. Pitts hopes to have jockey Mark Guidry aboard for French Park's final pre-Stonerside Beaumont work.

Another Kentucky Oaks nominee on Churchill Downs' Sunday work tab was Sunshine Million Oaks winner Joint Effort, who zipped five furlongs in :59.60 for trainer Dale Romans. She was a dull seventh as the favorite in her most recent start in Gulfstream Park's Stonerside Forward Gal (GII).

Ermine Could Train To Kentucky Oaks - Trainer Ronny Werner hopes that Oxbow Racing LLC's Ermine, winner of the $75,000 Honeybee last week at Oaklawn Park, will run next in the $250,000 Fantasy (GII) at the Hot Springs, Ark. track.

But there is a chance that the filly's ultimate target, the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, could be her next start.

Werner told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he is concerned the April 14 Fantasy could come up too quick for his Florida-bred daughter of Exchange Rate.

"I think she's a nice filly," said Werner. "As light as she is and she's lost a little weight … I would like to get her weight up. I think it's important with all horses to get that time, but it seems like even those better ones that really lay it out there for you, you really need to give them their time in between races."

If Werner elects to pass on the Fantasy, he would train Ermine up to the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks on May 5. Her Honeybee victory improved Ermine's career record to 2-2-0 in five races. Her only off-the-board finish came in a Jan. 22 maiden race at Oaklawn in which she led by three-lengths in mid-stretch, but dumped jockey Francisco Torres from the saddle when the rider struck her with his whip near the finish line. She is perfect in two starts since that race.

Meanwhile, trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel said that Pin Oak Stud's homebred Brownie Points, winner of the Martha Washington and runner-up in the Honeybee, was being pointed toward the Fantasy. She is not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, but Von Hemel said a big effort in the Fantasy could earn the daughter of Forest Wildcat a supplemental nomination to the race.

EAST/DRESS GREY WINS SMART HALO DESPITE INJURY - In a victory that provided another example of the highs and lows experienced by owners and trainers in Thoroughbred racing, Richard and Linda Newton's Dress Grey grabbed the early lead and drew away to a dominating 8 ½-length victory in Saturday's $75,000 Smart Halo Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Maryland's Laurel Park.

But as the Newtons celebrated the first stakes victory by the daughter of Lion Hearted, who is trained by Graham Motion at the Fair Hill training center, it was discovered that Dress Grey had suffered an injury to her left medial sesamoid during the running of the six-furlong race. But Linda Newton said the injury did not appear to be life threatening.

"Of course, we're concerned now about the condition of the horse," said Newton. "We're very happy about the race."

Jockey Erick Rodriquez was aboard Dress Grey as she zipped through six furlongs in 1:11.48 over a "fast" track. Ten Halos, a 44-1 shot, edged Summer Cruise, the tepid 5-2 favorite who had stumbled at the start, for the runner-up spot.

Rodriquez had not planned to take Dress Grey to the lead, but the filly had other ideas.

"She broke really well and I wanted to take a hold and let Eric (jockey Eric Camacho on longshot Citichurch) go, but she wanted to run," said Rodriquez. "At the quarter-pole, she took off."

Dress Grey, who is not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, won her third race in six starts.

FINAL KENTUCKY OAKS FUTURE POOL SET FOR APRIL 6-9 - The last of three pools in the 2006 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager ("KOFW") is set to launch on Thursday, April 6 and Churchill Downs will announce the roster of the pool's 24 wagering interests on Tuesday, April 4.

The April 6-9 pool will open at noon (all times Eastern) on Thursday and wagering will conclude on Sunday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. Odds that are in place at the conclusion of the pool will determine the payouts in the wager when the 132nd Kentucky Oaks is run on May 5.

The Oaks Future Wager allows racing fans to wager on contenders in the race weeks or months in advance at odds that could be better than they would receive on Oaks Day.

The mutuel field, which features all 3-year-old fillies other than the 23 individual horses in the pool's 24 wagering interest, has been favored in the first two pools of the year. "All Others" was a lukewarm 9-2 choice in last month's second pool and was the 7-2 favorite in the opening KOFW pool in late January.

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