Pure Oaks

It was a beautiful day in Louisville until early afternoon when the rain blew in. The crowd at Churchill Downs, primed and ready for a great day of racing and partying just hours before, are now huddled inside. In a little over two hours, the fillies for the 134th Kentucky Oaks will break from the starting gate. And about a minute and forty-nine seconds later, we will know which miss will be draped in the lilies.

I think Pure Clan is going to be tough to beat. Granted, Proud Spell and Country Star are solid in their own right. Little Belle should run big too. All in all, it’s a tough field. But I think Pure Clan will relish the distance, and at odds of 6-1 or so, the value is there.

There might be a pace issue in the Oaks, as in a lack of pace. I still can’t say for sure which filly I think will be on the front. So with Pure Clan’s off-the-pace style, she might be hurt the absence of early speed. But you can probably say that for just about all of them.

In the end, I think she’s going to run big. A to the Croft is my price play, so I will use her in the exacta.

If you like to play the Oaks-Derby double (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?), I advise using Pure Clan and A to the Croft with Gayego, Big Brown, Pyro, Colonel John, Visionaire, and Monba.

Be sure to check out my Live Blog here at KentuckyOaks.com starting around 3:00pm EDT.