Oaks Updates

High Again breezed a strong half-mile in :47.80 Monday after the renovation break under Larry Melancon. Mott, Churchill's all-time leading conditioner by victories, looks forward to participating in Louisville's landmark race for 3-year-old fillies.

AUTOBAHN GIRL - Live Oak Stud's Autobahn Girl returned to the Churchill Downs track Monday for the first time since working five furlongs on Saturday in preparation for her scheduled start in the Kentucky Oaks (GI).

"It was her first day back, so she just jogged around the track," said trainer Nick Zito's assistant Heather Stark, who was aboard for Autobahn Girl's morning exercise.

Eddie Castro will ride Autobahn Girl in the Oaks.

Stablemate Silver Knockers galloped a mile and a half under Stark before the break Monday, but is highly unlikely to run in the Oaks. Zito reported on Saturday that he would only reconsider a start in the Oaks if the field "became small."

CASH INCLUDED - J. Paul Reddam's Cash Included made a visit to the Churchill Downs paddock Monday morning, before galloping once around the track in the company of a pony.

Trainer Craig Dollase has deputized his father Wally Dollase to oversee Cash Included's training.

"He's got so many horses in California, he thought it would be inefficient to be here. He didn't want to leave all of his horses out there, so he asked me to help out," said Dollase, who has purchased a farm in Kentucky. "I'm going to saddle her for the Oaks, but J. Paul Reddam will be here."

Corey Nakatani has the mount aboard Cash Included, who won the Oak Leaf Stakes (GI) at Santa Anita last year before finishing fifth behind Dreaming of Anna in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) over the Churchill Downs racetrack.

COTTON BLOSSOM/OCTAVE/RAGS TO RICHES - It was a light morning at Todd Pletcher's Barn 6 at Keeneland for his Kentucky Oaks trio with a single one-mile jog serving as the "heavy lifting."

The three-time Eclipse Award winner had regular exercise rider Loren Robson take his multiple-stakes winner Rags to Riches trackside at Keeneland for that one-mile jog the morning after her 1:00.20 team drill (with Kentucky Derby runner Circular

Quay). Many trainers like to walk their charges the day after a work, but Pletcher likes to stretch their legs and the one-mile jog nicely serves that purpose.

The trainer did have his other two Oaks types -  Octave and Cotton Blossom - merely walk the shedrow. Those two, who certainly will have their share of supporters for Friday's nine-furlong, $500,000 headliner, had jogged a mile Sunday after going through works Saturday.

Pletcher said his high-line threesome would ship over to Churchill Downs Tuesday with the rest of his barn, arriving "around feeding time; about 4:30 or so."

DAWN AFTER DAWN - Ike and Dawn Thrash's filly Dawn After Dawn worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 at Churchill Downs on Sunday, so the daughter of Successful Appeal simply walked the shedrow Monday morning.

Trainer Wesley Hawley purchased Dawn After Dawn a year ago privately from the breeder, the team of Randy Hartley and Dean De Renzo of Ocala, Fla.

"She's a nice filly.  I liked her pedigree, she's long-bodied, has a nice shoulder and a pretty face," said Hawley.  "Hopefully she becomes a Grade I winner."

Hawley explained Dawn After Dawn's early races: "She was beaten 42 lengths in her first race because she ‘tied up' (a syndrome that damages the muscle tissue in horses that can be brought on by various factors).  But she recovered and hasn't had another episode.  We ran her back on the grass because that was what was available.  I think we were keeping her too close to the lead in her early races and now we're taking her back some.  We did that in the Ashland and she ran a better race (third by three-quarters of a length)."

Dawn After Dawn is scheduled to gallop Tuesday morning at 7:30.  Robby Albarado has the mount in the Kentucky Oaks.

DREAMING OF ANNA - Owner Frank Calabrese's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine jogged six furlongs and galloped an additional half-mile this morning with trainer Wayne Catalano in the irons. It marked her return to the track, two days after breezing a bullet five panels in :58.60.

"I tried to give her an easy day, but she just can't do it," a beaming Catalano said from the saddle as they walked back to the barn.

Catalano said that he'd love to draw toward the inside, post positions two or three, for Friday's Kentucky Oaks, which will be drawn Tuesday. "She wants to be right up there, so let's get the inside and go with it," he said.

As for the distance of the Oaks at 1 1/8 miles, he said, "I wish it was a flat-mile, but it's not. It's the Oaks - there's only one Kentucky Oaks."

HIGH AGAIN - The Bill Mott trainee breezed a strong half-mile in :47.80 Monday after the renovation break with jockey Larry Melancon deputizing for Cornelio Velasquez in the saddle. Mott, Churchill's all-time leading conditioner by victories, looks forward to participating in Louisville's landmark race for 3-year-old fillies.

"It would be very special for me to win the Oaks," he said. "It's a thrill to be able to run it, much less how special it would be to actually win it. It's a big, big deal for those of us who have been around here a long time."

As for Monday's drill, Mott took in the action aboard his pony on the racetrack. "It looked like she broke off very well and galloped out very well. Here on Derby Week, you can't see both sides of the track unless you're riding in the Goodyear Blimp."

Mott said that his Bonnie Miss (GII) stakes winner likely would walk the shedrow Tuesday morning, but cautioned. "Let's see how she acts. If she's high, we may take her out and gallop her."

HIGH HEELS - Anita Ebert's Fantasy (GII) winner High Heels returned to the track shortly before 7 a.m. Monday for a 1 ½-mile gallop under exercise rider Jimmy Connolly.

The E Dubai filly had walked Sunday, a day after working five furlongs in 1:00.40.

"She was good this morning and handled everything around here with no problems," trainer Gary Hartlage said. "We took her over to the paddock yesterday afternoon with the eighth race and she was a little antsy going over, but she was fine in the paddock. It was a full field of 12 fillies and she was good."

Hartlage plans to take High Heels to the gate in the morning prior to her morning gallop. Joe Johnson has the Oaks riding assignment.

MISTICAL PLAN - Trainer Doug O'Neill's filly arrived at Churchill Downs on Sunday after spending the past month at Keeneland, where she was fifth in the Ashland (G1). Mistical Plan made her first trip around Churchill Downs on Monday morning, jogging about three-quarters of a mile and galloping 1 ¼ miles with exercise rider Tony Romero aboard.

O'Neill was pleased with the performance from the Game Plan filly, who was second in Churchill's Pocahontas Stakes (GIII) last October in her lone start at the track.

"She ran well over this track last year," he said. "She loved Keneeland, but it seems she does get over this track a little bit easier. Especially right now, it's real fast and she just skips over it and looked fantastic."

Mistical Plan will gallop each morning up to the Kentucky Oaks (GI) on Friday.

SEALY HILL - The Melnyk Racing Stables' Sealy Hill galloped a mile and a half before the renovation break with Julia Brimo up.

A winner of three of five starts, with all victories coming on Polytrack, Sealy Hill had walked Sunday, a day after working five furlongs in 1:01.20.

Norman Casse, son of trainer Mark Casse who will be back in Louisville on Wednesday, said the filly has not received much attention at her Barn 17 headquarters.

"It is really quiet. Last year Top Notch Lady got quite a bit of attention because we had a Derby horse in the barn (Seaside Retreat)," Casse said. "This filly is better than Top Notch Lady and she's not just a Polytrack horse. Her one race on dirt, Autobahn Girl (another Oaks hopeful) beat her and she's a nice filly."

The only issue so far for the Point Given filly is battling a case of hives.

"It doesn't affect anything; they just look awful," Casse said. "We may come in one day and they will be gone."

Patrick Husbands will ride the filly in the Oaks.

SWIFT TEMPER - Mark Stanley's Swift Temper jogged a mile shortly after 6 a.m. Monday with exercise rider Mario Covento up, coming off the track just before a loose horse raced by.

"Everything is good this morning," trainer Bobby Barnett said of the filly, who will be ridden in the Oaks by Julien Leparoux.

Barnett is stabled in Barn 3, near the track kitchen and the length of the backstretch away from the backside media center, which is a cauldron of human activity.

"I like it back here. It is nice and quiet. We have pretty much been here as long as I have been coming here," said Barnett, who won the 1998 Breeders' Cup Juvenile with Answer Lively, who was housed in that barn.

TOUGH TIZ'S SIS - The Win Star Oaks winner simply walked the shedrow at Santa Anita Monday morning after having worked six furlongs in 1:11.40 Sunday in her final preparations for this Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

Trainer Bob Baffert's right-hand man, Jim Barnes, reported that all was well with the daughter of Tiznow and that plans to ship her Wednesday are still in place.

"She'll come with Pussycat Doll," Barnes noted. "She (Pussycat Doll) is going to run Saturday in the Humana Distaff ($300,000-added, Grade I, fillies and mares, 4 and up, 7 furlongs). We're the defending champs."

Tough Tiz's Sis will be handled by Victor Espinoza in the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks.

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