Oaks Updates

Photo By: Rick Schmitt/CDI

Grade II winner Wonder Lady Anne L galloped over the Churchill Downs surface Saturday morning. Trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., the daughter of Real Quiet had been training forwardly at Palm Meadows Training Center before shipping to Louisville, and she'll be making her first start in two months when she lines up in the Oaks.

BALANCE - Amerman Racing Stables' Balance, one of the likely favorites for the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks next Friday, arrived at Churchill Downs early Saturday afternoon following a flight from her Southern California base. Joining her on the trip was another charge of trainer David Hofmans, the Kentucky Derby candidate Sacred Light, who is also owned by Amerman Racing.

Balance, who'll be handled by regular rider Victor Espinoza in the nine-furlong Oaks, completed her major training for the filly classic with a six-furlong move in 1:11.60 Friday at Hollywood Park. The Thunder Gulch filly has taken up residence in Barn 45.

BUSHFIRE - Homewrecker Stable LLC's Bushfire worked a half mile on the main track at Keeneland Saturday morning in 47.40 under exercise rider Lorina Andersen.

"She went very well," trainer Eddie Kenneally said. "She will ship to Churchill late tomorrow and gallop up to the race. She will go to the paddock probably Wednesday and Thursday afternoon."

The wire-to-wire winner of the prestigious Gr. I Ashland Stakes in her previous start, Bushfire will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez in the Oaks.

DIPLOMAT LADY -The California-based filly that shipped east to win the Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland last out, was out for exercise after the break, galloping a mile-and-a-half around the Churchill oval under exercise rider Alfredo Garcia, who is assistant to trainer Chris Paasch.

Garcia said Paasch was due at Churchill Downs Monday, and that it was likely the Forestry filly would have her final Oaks breeze that morning.

Diplomat Lady, owned by Charles Cono LLC, became a Grade I winner last December when she took the Hollywood Starlet for her first win around two turns.

Alex Solis has the mount Friday.

ERMINE - Oxbow Racing LLC's Ermine walked the shedrow at Barn 9 Saturday morning.

The Ronny Werner trainee had worked Thursday and had a light jog Friday with Saturday slated as a morning off. The Exchange Rate filly will return to the track in the morning.

Robby Albarado is slated to ride in the Oaks.

EX CAELIS - The Circle C Group Stables' Ex Caelis worked six furlongs in 1:15 early Saturday morning under exercise rider Jesse Cirillo.

"I didn't get a time on her, but I thought she went well," trainer D. Wayne Lukas said.

No rider has been named for Ex Caelis in the Oaks.

ITTY BITTY PRETTY - The Doug O'Neill-trained 3-year-old filly walked the shedrow at Barn 37 Saturday morning after working six furlongs in 1:17 on Friday.

"She'll jog tomorrow and gallop up to the race,'' said trainer Paul McGee, who is overseeing the training of the California-based Itty Bitty Pretty for O'Neill.

The stakes-winning daughter of El Corredor finished a disappointing and distant fourth in the Grade I Ashland at Keeneland in her most recent start, but McGee stressed that the result of her first race on the East Coast was hardly a true indication of her ability.

"She didn't have much of a chance running against the speed bias," McGee said.

Patrick Valenzuela is set to ride Itty Bitty Pretty in the Oaks.

LEMONS FOREVER - Leon, Willis and Terry Horton and Dallas Stewart's Lemons Forever completed her major training for the Kentucky Oaks by working five furlongs in 1:00.40 before the renovation break under Oaks rider Mark Guidry. The move was the eighth fastest of 48 at the distance.

"She worked good," trainer Stewart said. "She will walk in the morning, jog the next day and then gallop up to the race."

Lemons Forever comes into the Oaks off a third-place finish in the Bourbonette Breeders' Cup (GIII) at Turfway Park.

"I think she is going to run big," Stewart said. "She was making a big move in that race at Turfway and got bumped real hard when she was moving."

MISS NORMAN- Owner Greg Norman watched closely as his Oaks hope, Miss Norman, put in her final drill Saturday morning for Friday's big event, breezing seven furlongs in 1:29.60 with jockey Tony Farina aboard.

"Mission accomplished," said Norman. "We wanted to give her a feel for the track surface, and give Tony a chance to get better acquainted with her."

Farina flew in from the West Coast for the drill. His first trip aboard the daughter of Artax was the stuff of high drama. In the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn on April 14, Miss Norman was 41-1 and running like 4-5. She led through much of the race and was in front at the quarter pole when she suddenly bolted to the outside. Farina, who was as surprised as anyone, regained control and the filly closed with determination to finish second in the mile and a sixteenth event.

"We don't know what really happened there," Norman said. "We've tried to correct some things we thought might be a problem, but we're basically guessing. We can only hope it was a one-time thing."

Miss Norman was also second in the Matron at Belmont last year at 53-1, but was even-money when she broke her maiden at Del Mar last summer in her lone victory.

Karin Long trains Miss Norman, who was previously in the care of Sal Gonzalez.

TOP NOTCH LADY - Robert Wilson's Top Notch Lady was hand-walked Saturday morning after breezing five furlongs in 1:01 on Friday in preparation for next Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

Trainer Mark Casse expressed no concerns that his 3-year old filly won't take to the Churchill Downs racing surface.

"She's good at anything she does," Casse said. "She's won on dirt; she's won on turf; and she's won on Polytrack."

After winning her debut and a Canadian Grade II stakes over the Woodbine turf course, followed up by a stakes score over the dirt course in Canada last year, Top Notch Lady prevailed in her 2006 debut over Turfway Park's Polytrack surface in the Bourbonette Stakes.

Although Top Notch Lady will be making only her second start of the year in the Oaks, her trainer expects the physically imposing filly to be up to the challenge.

"She's a big strong filly. She's 17-1 hands," said Casse, who has awarded the mount to Patrick Husbands. "And I know she'll really relish the mile-and-an-eighth."

PRESS CAMP - Peters Stables LLC, Rancho San Miguel and Matthews Shaver's Press Camp jogged two miles Saturday morning at Bay Meadows with exercise rider Sylvester Jimenez up.

Trainer William E. Morey said the Comic Strip filly would train the next two mornings at Bay Meadows and then van to Santa Anita on Monday afternoon for a Tuesday morning flight out of Ontario bound for Louisville.

Rafael Bejarano, who shared the riding title as the just concluded Keeneland spring meet, is slated to ride Press Camp in the Oaks.

QUIET KIM - The daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet had a lazy morning, just walking under the shedrow Saturday.

Chris Houchins' filly put in her final Oaks drill on Friday when she breezed six furlongs in 1:12.80 under exercise rider Gerardo Morales.

Morales said trainer Bob Hess was pleased with the work and added that the trainer was due in at Churchill Downs either late Monday or early Tuesday. Hess has yet to name a rider for Quiet Kim, who was second in the Santa Anita Oaks in March and finished sixth in the Fantasy Stakes last out.

RED CHERRIES SPIN - Naveed Chowhan's Red Cherries Spin galloped two miles on Saturday at Churchill Downs under exercise rider Lorna Chavez.

Trainer Bernie Flint continues to hope that the daughter of With Approval makes it into the maximum field of 14 3-year-old fillies, although she currently is last on the preference list among 16 candidates still hoping to run in the race. Flint has yet to name a jockey for his Kentucky Oaks hopeful, who could run in the $100,000-added Edgewood on the turf on Friday if she does not make it into the Oaks.

WAIT A WHILE/READY TO PLEASE - Arindel Farm's Wait a While and James Scatuorchio's Ready To Please turned in workouts Saturday morning, six days in front of their possible dates in the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks.

Wait a While, a gray daughter of Maria's Mon, drilled five furlongs in 1:03.40, accomplishing her exercise right after the renovation break with exercise rider Frederick Buscialle aboard.

"She felt good," the Frenchman Buscialle said. "She's going well right now. And she likes this stuff (pointing to the rain-filled sky)." All three of the Kentucky-bred filly's victories have come on "off" surfaces.

Ready to Please, sired by More Than Ready, went trackside with trainer Todd Pletcher's second set of horses at approximately 6:30 with exercise rider Justin Curran up. She covered four furlongs in 49 flat.

Pletcher has been standoffish on the chances of Ready to Please to compete in the Grade I Oaks. He continued in that vein Saturday, shaking his head no when asked if he had changed his mind about her being a "not likely" candidate for the filly classic.

WONDER LADY ANNE L/LAST ROMANCE - The Rick Dutrow Jr.-trained pair galloped separately on the main track Saturday morning. Assistant trainer Michelle Nevin was aboard both.

Dutrow is due in within the next two days to determine if the fillies will have a final breeze before the Oaks.

Last Romance, a daughter of Wild Rush who races for the partnership of Sanford J. Goldfarb, Michael Dubb and Bunch of Characters Stable, won the Wayward Lass Stakes at Aqueduct in her most recent start.

Wonder Lady Anne L, owned by IEAH Stables and Joseph Plumeri, was second last out in the Bonnie Miss at Gulfstream. Edgar Prado has the call in the Oaks.

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