Oaks Blogs

It’s almost not fair.

When Rags to Riches stormed down the middle of the muddy Churchill stretch, far ahead of 13 overmatched fillies, I kept thinking how physically gifted she is. She was way bigger and stronger than and other filly in the field. She covered an enormous amount of ground with each powerful stride. She made 3-2 odds seem like a gift.

Jockey Garrett Gomez’ emphatic fist pump in front of 100,075 fans put the exclamation on a superstar performance. She easily overcame the two biggest question marks -- the muddy track and an outside post. Gomez made a swift move early, steering Rags to Riches to the two path entering the first turn and out of trouble. Not that she needed it. The performance was so dominant that she would have won from any position on the track.

It was a huge win for trainer Todd Pletcher, who’d been shut out on the undercard until the Oaks, losing with four favorites. With Octave finishing a clear second, he saddled the $30 Oaks exacta. It was Pletcher’s second Oaks win after saddling the great filly Ashado to victory in 2004.

“It was an unbelievable performance,” Pletcher said. “She’s a remarkable filly to think that she was a maiden at the beginning of the year and now to win the Kentucky Oaks. She’s an unbelievable filly. A true superstar.”

Gomez said that even through he saved ground early on Rags to Riches, the big filly wasn't comforable near the inside but was "coping with it." In all her dominating California wins, she looped to field widest.

"Once I moved her to the outside, I felt her take a deep breath," Gomez said. "It was like a sigh of relief. She was back where she was comfortable. When I turned for home she really surprised me the way she kicked it in."

Rags to Riches’ physical gift was obvious when I watched her train in company with Circular Quay on Sunday at Keeneland. She’s bigger and stronger than Circular Quay, and the pair worked in tandem for the entire five-furlong workout. This win certainly bodes well for Circular Quay’s chances tomorrow. He’s one of five bullets that Pletcher has in the holster as he attempts to achieve the Oaks-Derby double.

“They’ve been on basically same program and work schedule,” said Pletcher, who noted the pair worked three times together at Keeneland. “This certainly makes you feel better. Circular Quay has been doing just as well as she has.”