Oaks News

The $500,000 Ashland (Grade 1) at Keeneland has assembled the year's most talented group of sophomore fillies to date.  Nine fillies from across the country are set to do battle, each seeking a berth in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 4.

Octave has been installed as the prohibitive 2-1 favorite and will break from post number five.  The daughter of Unbridled's Song made her seasonal debut on March 10 in the Fair Grounds' Oaks (Grade 2) where she finished second, 3 ¼-lengths behind fellow Ashland contender Mistical Plan.  Last year, Octave finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1) to eventual champion Dreaming of Anna; she also won the Adirondack (Grade 2) and finished second in the Matron (Grade 1) and Astoria.  Octave is set to tackle a tough group of fillies under regular rider Garrett Gomez.

The morning line second-choice distinction goes to the filly that defeated Octave in their most recent bout: Mistical Plan.  The Doug O'Neill trainee finished 3 ¼-lengths in front of Octave in the Fair Grounds' Oaks after leading the field from gate to wire.  That victory came on the heels of a win over state-bred competition in the Sunshine Millions Oaks, run at six furlongs.  The only cause for concern may be that she is returning to the polytrack, a surface she did not seem to enjoy in her only trip over a synthetic strip in the Hollywood Starlet (Grade 1); she finished a well beaten eighth in the race as the 5-2 favorite.

High Again, winner of the Bonnie Miss (Grade 2) in her most recent outing, will break from post eight and has been installed as the 9-2 third choice.  It took trainer Bill Mott four tries to get this chestnut daughter of High Yield out of the maiden ranks, but she has certainly found her groove since then.  She won her first start as a 3-year-old over allowance foes at Gulfstream, and then finished second to Christmas Kid in the Davona Dale (Grade 2) in her stakes debut.  She turned the tables on Christmas Kid in the Bonnie Miss last time out, posting a 1 1/2-length victory over that rival, who she will have to tussle with again in this race.

The rivalry will continue between High Again and Christmas Kid as the latter will break from post six under Rene Douglas.  Christmas Kid, a bay daughter of Lemon Drop Kid, is a dual stakes winner this year having captured the Tropical Park Oaks on the turf course and the Davona Dale (Grade 2) on the main track.  While she finished just over a length behind High Again last time out in the Bonnie Miss, she was also giving that rival two pounds.  At equal weights, High Again and Christmas Kid look fairly even between the two of them and very dangerous to the two favorites.

Another Florida shipper that looks strong is Silver Knockers.  The Nick Zito trainee won her first two career starts this year before finishing a good second in the Forward Gal (GII); the race was her stakes debut and just her third career start.  She is being asked to stretch out around two-turns for the first time and tackles what is surely the toughest group of fillies she has ever seen.  Still, she has been working very well for this race and seems like a logical contender that might be let go at a nice price.

Perhaps the most interesting filly entered in the race is Hucking Hot (GB) from the Patrick Gallagher barn.  Hucking Hot finished a hard charging second in her seasonal debut, which came over the turf course in the China Doll at Santa Anita last month.  Her last start as a 2-year-old came over a synthetic surface at Hollywood Park in the Hollywood Starlet (Grade 1) where she finished a fast closing fourth after facing serious traffic issues.  She is listed at 10-1 on the morning line and looks like a logical contender.

The field is rounded out by Elitist, Grace Happens, and Dawn After Dawn.  The race is carded as the 9^th and set to go off at 5:15 EDT. 

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