Oaks Updates

BALANCE - Amerman Racing Stables LLC's Balance walked the shedrow at Hollywood Park for trainer David Hofmans a day after working five furlongs in 59.60 seconds, the second fastest of 23 at the distance.

"She is in really good shape this morning," Hofmans said. "She will go back to the track in the morning."

The daughter of 1995 Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch won the Las Virgenes (GI) and Santa Anita Oaks (GI) at Santa Anita before she ran a distant third to Bushfire in the Ashland Stakes (GI) at Keeneland in her most recent start. Victor Espinoza is scheduled to ride in the Oaks.

BUSHFIRE - Homewrecker Stable LLC's Bushfire, winner of the Ashland (GI) at Keeneland, galloped 1 ¼-miles on Sunday on the Polytrack training track at Keeneland under exercise rider Lorina Andersen.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, Bushfire will be ridden in the Kentucky Oaks by Cornelio Velasquez.

DIPLOMAT LADY - Charles Cono LLC's Diplomat Lady, sporting a Kentucky Oaks 132 saddle towel, galloped 1 ½-miles before the renovation break under exercise rider Alfredo Garcia.

Diplomat Lady won the Stonerside Beaumont (GII) at Keeneland in her most recent start for trainer Chris Paasch. She won the Hollywood Starlet (GI) at two.

ERMINE - Oxbow Racing LLC's Ermine, winner of the Honeybee at Oaklawn Park, galloped 1 ½-miles under exercise rider Ronald Savoy.

Trainer Ronny Werner said the Exchange Rate filly would "probably" work Tuesday.

EX CAELIS - Circle C Group Stables' Ex Caelis worked five furlongs in 1:02.80 over a "fast" track at Churchill Downs. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained daughter of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus breezed under exercise rider Jesse Cirillo before the renovation break. The move ranked as the 29th fastest of 48 works at the distance.

"I don't have a watch, but from where I was she was rolling," said Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Oaks winner. "I was very pleased."

Ex Caelis finished fourth in the Fantasy (GII) on April 14 at Oaklawn Park. It was her first race since a fourth-place finish to her Lukas-trained stablemate, eventual 2-year-old filly champion Folklore, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) at Belmont Park.

ITTY BITTY PRETTY - STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood's Itty Bitty Pretty was one of the first horses on the track Sunday morning, jogging a mile under exercise rider Luis Rodriguez.

The winner of the Santa Ysabel (GIII) finished fourth in the Ashland (GI) for trainer Doug O'Neill.

LEMONS FOREVER - Trainer Dallas Stewart reported that his Kentucky Oaks hopeful Lemons Forever came out of her Saturday work in good order and walked the shedrow on Sunday morning.

The third-place finisher in the Bourbonette Breeders' Cup (GIII) at Turfway Park breezed five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The Lemon Drop Kid filly is owned by Stewart and Leon, Willis and Terry Horton and will be ridden in the Oaks by Mark Guidry.

MISS NORMAN - Fantasy (GII) runner-up Miss Norman arrived at Churchill Downs around 5:15 a.m. (all times Eastern) Sunday following a 10-hour van ride from Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Owner Greg Norman accompanied the daughter of Artax on that journey and said that both he and the filly handled the trip well.

"Everything's going good," said Norman. "We'll take her to the track tomorrow and proceed on with it."

Trainer Karin Long is scheduled to arrive in Louisville on Friday. She became Norman's trainer over the winter and Miss Norman's run in the Fantasy marked the first time that Long had saddled a horse for Norman.

The Fantasy was the first start since the Frizette (GI) on Oct. 8 for Miss Norman, and she left a strong impression with an adventurous stretch run during which she bore out badly twice, but still managed to finish second. She had set the pace and seemed to be in control of the race and the head of the stretch when she made the first of her unexpected moves under jockey Tony Farina.

Her actions left the rail wide open for James Scatourchio's Ready to Please, who scooted through the wide opening to win the Fantasy.

Norman said his filly's behavior was completed unexpected, but he believes that he knows why it happened.

"I think it was the whip," said Norman. "Even when she switched to her right lead, it was because Tony was tapping her on the shoulder with whip. And, when you look at the head-on (video), when he goes to draw his right hand she sees it in the periphery, and that's why she bolted. So we'll get that corrected."

Miss Norman ran against top-notch competition before her 2-year-old season came a premature end. Norman said a combination of factors led to her long layoff.

"We were going to run her in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies when she came down with a little bit of an ankle problem, so unfortunately we weren't able to make that race," said Norman. "We cleaned it up - there were no chips or anything like that, so we just gave her some time off. Then she actually developed cellulites from the procedure, so that was the reason that she was so late coming back to the races."

The filly is not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, so Norman will have to pay a fee of $25,000 to make her a supplemental entry to the race. He said he did not nominate Miss Norman to the Oaks because it was taking so long to get her back into the training over the winter. But, once she did return to the track, she made amazing progress.

"We really weren't expecting her to get well so soon, and then to get so fit so soon," said Norman. "Just one day we worked her and said, 'This filly's ready to run.' And that's why we came to the Fantasy."

Although she entered the Fantasy off a long break and was a 41-1 risk in on the odds board at Oaklawn Park, Norman was confident that his filly would run well.

"She was training through the roof," he said. "We knew that she would run huge."

Now Norman is at Churchill Downs with Miss Norman for the biggest race of the year for 3-year-old fillies. "We didn't take her to the Fantasy, she took us to the Fantasy," said Norman. "We didn't bring her to the Kentucky Oaks, she brought us here."

Norman said that Farina would have the mount on the filly in the Kentucky Oaks. Miss Norman has a career record of 1-3-0 in six races with earnings of $168,300.

PRESS CAMP - Peters Stables LLC, Rancho San Miguel and Matthew Shaver's Press Camp, trainer by William Morey, jogged two miles Sunday morning at Bay Meadows with exercise rider Rodrigo Matias up.

QUIET KIM - Chris Houchin's Quiet Kim jogged a mile and then galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Gerardo Morales before the renovation break on Sunday at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Bob Hess is scheduled to return to Louisville from his California base on Wednesday or Thursday.

RED CHERRIES SPIN - Dr. Naveed Chowhan's Red Cherries Spin, a winner of three of four career starts, galloped 1 ½-miles at Churchill Downs under exercise rider Georgia Jackson.

The daughter of With Approval was claimed by Chowhan and trainer Bernie Flint for $75,000 out of a victory last week at Keeneland and could be made a supplemental entry to the Kentucky Oaks for a fee of $25,000, or five percent of the $500,000 purse.

TOP NOTCH LADY - Robert J. Wilson's Bourbonette Breeders' Cup (GIII) winner Top Notch Lady galloped 1 ½-miles before the renovation break under exercise rider Jose Castanon.

Trainer Mark Casse, who trained at Churchill Downs early in his career but now is based at Woodbine in Toronto, will arrive in Louisville Wednesday night to supervise a Thursday work for the Sultry Song filly. Woodbine-based jockey Patrick Husbands has the riding assignment in the Oaks.

WAIT A WHILE/READY TO PLEASE - Arindel Farm's Wait a While, winner of the Davona Dale (GII) and runner-up in the Ashland (GI), walked in trainer Todd Pletcher's shedrow on the morning after a four-furlong work on Saturday.

Pletcher said that Garrett Gomez would ride the daughter of Maria's Mon in the Kentucky Oaks in place of the injured John Velazquez.

Gomez will be taking over duties as Pletcher's "first call" rider until Velazquez recovers from injuries suffered in a Thursday spill at Keeneland.

"What works out well is that the Santa Anita meet is ending and he's able to come in and fill in at the end of the Keeneland meet and during Derby Week," said Pletcher. "Then I think he's going to go to New York and pick up the majority of the slack until Johnny comes back."

Pletcher said the injury of Velazquez is tough on both a personal and professional basis.

"You can't replace a John Velazquez," said Pletcher. "In my opinion, he's the best rider in the world and when you have him on a consistent basis, he's familiar with the horses and he and I are on the same page going into a race."

James Scatuorchio's Ready to Please, winner of the Fantasy, galloped on Sunday. Pletcher said she remains "unlikely" for the Kentucky Oaks.

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