Oaks News

Cotton Blossom made a successful return to racing action with a 2-length win in the $200,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, stamping herself as a serious contender for the Kentucky Oaks.

            The 3-year-old daughter of Broken Vow covered the 1 1/16-mile distance over a "fast" track in 1:45.06 and paid $4, $3.40, and $3 as the even-money.  Suaveness, the longest shot in the race at odds of 69-1, finished second under Eddie Castro and paid $31 and $12.60.  Maria's Kitty, another longshot at 34-1, finished third and paid $10 to show.

            Autobahn Girl finished fourth and was followed under the wire by Desire to Excel, Trainee, Saint Barbara, and Dinner Break.

            Saint Barbara, a 62-1 longshot, jumped out to the early lead and carved out soft fractions of :23.95 for the first quarter-mile and :48.11 for the first half-mile.  Desire to Excel, who was making her first start since July of last year, tracked in second before moving into pole position after six furlongs and clocking off that distance in 1:12.86.  Her lead was short lived as Cotton Blossom swung wide on the turn and had the lead all to herself at the top of the stretch.  Cotton Blossom would extend her lead in the stretch under urging and post an easy 2-length win.

            Cotton Blossom, owned by Dogwood Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, had not raced since finishing a strong third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last November at Churchill Downs.  Earlier in the year she had won the Grade 3 Schuylerville and finished second in the Grade 1 Spinaway.  She provides Pletcher another contender for the Kentucky Oaks in addition to early favorite Rags to Riches and highly regarded Octave.

            Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the race came from Autobahn Girl.  She entered the Florida Oaks off a stirring 3-length win in the Suncoast, a local prep for this race.  She was bet down to be the 9-5 second choice but could not make up any ground on the winner in deep stretch. 

            The race offered no graded earnings, which will determine the preference for entrants accepted into the Kentucky Oaks. 

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