Kentucky Oaks 134 Update: March 3rd

UNBEATEN CHAMPION INDIAN BLESSING HEADS NOMINEES TO 134TH KENTUCKY OAKS – Hal and Patti Earnhardt’s unbeaten Indian Blessing, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2007 and winner of the $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade I), tops a roster of 165 3-year-old fillies nominated to compete in the 134th running of the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (GI) at Churchill Downs on Friday, May 2.

The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks is America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies and is run each year on the eve of America’s greatest race, the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI). Like the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks has been renewed each year without interruption since the first racing meet was held at Churchill Downs, then known as the Louisville Jockey Club, in May 1875.

Other stars nominated to 134th running of the Kentucky Oaks include Stonerside Stable’s Country Star, winner of the Hollywood Starlet (GI) and Keeneland’s Darley Alcibiades (GI); Brereton C. Jones’ Proud Spell, winner of the Matron (GII) and runner-up to Indian Blessing in both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the Silverbulletday; IEAH Stable and Lewis Lakin’s unbeaten Pure Clan, winner of the Golden Rod (GII) and Pocahontas (GIII) at Churchill Downs; Koolman Racing Stable LLC’s A to the Croft, runner-up in the Alcibiades and Spinaway (GI); Ron McCauley’s Golden Doc A, winner of the recent Las Virgenes (GI) at Santa Anita; Cloverleaf Farm II’s Bsharpsonata, a winner of four straight stakes races on turf and dirt that include the Forward Gal (GII) and Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream Park; Fox Hill Farm’s Eight Belles, a 13 1/2-length winner of a division of the recent Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park; Michael House’s Final Fling, winner of the Santa Ysabel (GIII); Bobby Flay’s Grace and Power, runner-up in the Hollywood Starlet; Michael Bello’s Las Virgenes runner-up Lovely Isle; Heather Stark’s Sky Mom, winner of the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies and a division of the recent Martha Washington; Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and JMJ Racing Stable’s Rated Fiesty, winner of the Debutante (GIII); Carl F. Pollard’s Kadira, winner of Bassinet at River Downs and winner vie disqualification in the recent Dixie Belle at Oaklawn Park; and Melnyk Racing Stable’s Vaulcluse, winner of the recent Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 2007 Kentucky Oaks was won by Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Rags to Riches, who would go on to score an historic victory over eventual “Horse of the Year” Curlin and other males in the Belmont Stakes (GI), the third jewel of racing’s Triple Crown, and earn the Eclipse Award for America’s champion 3-year-old filly. A crowd of 100,075 – the eighth-largest in Kentucky Oaks history – braved rainy weather to watch the Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of A.P. Indy win the race over a “sloppy” track.

Rags to Riches was among a record 192 fillies nominated to last year’s renewal of the Kentucky Oaks.

SOUTHEAST/BSHARPSONATA WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT IN DAVONA DALE – Cloverleaf Farm’s Bsharpsonata ran her winning streak to four on Sunday by winning the $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes (Grade II) by a two lengths over Zabeel Racing International’s 7-10 favorite Game Face at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Tim Salzman and ridden by Eric Camacho, Bsharpsonata covered the mile on a “fast” main track in 1:37.97. A daughter of Pulpit out of the Affirmed mare Apasionata Sonata, Bsharpsonata improved her record to 9-6-0-0 with earnings of $373,410.

Robbie’s Gal, the longest shot in the field of six at 17-1, carved out fractions of :22.81 and :45.29 with American County in closest pursuit. Robbie’s Gal easily disposed of American County and held a clear lead in the stretch as Game Face and Bsharpsonata made their moves. Game Face drifted wide in the lane giving Bsharpsonata a clear run at the leader and victory.

Game Face got up for second, finishing a half-length ahead of Robbie’s Gal.

“Distance is no problem for her,” Salzman said. “Her mama won at a mile and a half. We’ll see how she comes out of it, but if she’s OK, we’ll take her on to Keeneland for the (GI) Ashland (Stakes on April 5).”

MIDWEST/ABSOLUTELY CINDY ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING IN BATTAGLIA – Keith Kinmon’s Absolutely Cindy rallied from last place to overpower 10 male rivals and win the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths over Your Round on Saturday at Turfway Park. Absolutely Cindy completed the mile and a sixteenth in 1:44.69 over the Polytrack surface.

Ridden by Orlando Mojica, Absolutely Cindy bounced back from a sixth-place finish in the Feb. 9 Silverbulletday (GIII) at Fair Grounds to post her third victory in 10 starts and hike her earnings to $163,374. The Silverbulletday represents her lone start on a conventional dirt surface.

“We had shipped her to Fair Grounds, and Indian Blessing was in the race,” said Kinmon, who also bred and trains the daughter of Arch out of the L’Enjoleur mare Ms. Boucheron. “(Jockey) Julien (Leparoux) got a little worried about speed carrying and made her lay close, and she stopped real bad. He realized it and wrapped up on her, didn’t try to push her.

“I told Orlando, ‘Do not change her running style. The filly wants to come from the clouds.”

Absolutely Cindy delivered a similar kick at Churchill Downs on Nov. 24 when she came from dead last under Larry Melancon to win the Caressing at a mile on the grass.

Kinmon indicated Absolutely Cindy would start next in the Ashland (GI) on the Polytrack at Keeneland on April 5.

SOUTH/INDIAN BLESSING PUTS PERFECT RECORD ON THE LINE IN FAIR GROUNDS OAKS – Eclipse Award 2-year-old filly champion Indian Blessing and archrival Proud Spell are set to meet for a third time in Saturday’s $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds.

Only two other fillies were entered to face that accomplished duo in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.

The Bob Baffert-trained Indian Blessing ships back to New Orleans from California for after she notched a one-length victory in the Silverbulletday Stakes (GIII) over the same track on Feb. 9. Before that, the unbeaten daughter of Indian Charlie opened her 3-year-old season with a narrow victory Santa Ynez (GII) at Santa Anita on Jan. 13. That was the first race for Indian Blessing since her 3 1/2-length triumph in the $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) on Oct. 27 at Monmouth Park.

Brereton Jones’ Proud Spell made her 3-year-old bow for trainer J. Larry Jones in the Silverbulletday, which was her first outing since a runner-up finish to Indian Blessing in the Breeders’ Cup. She is the 6-5 second choice. Also back from the Silverbulletday is third-place finisher Highest Class, a daughter of Mineshaft trained by Neil Howard.

Reigning Eclipse Award winner Garrett Gomez will return from his California base to ride Indian Blessing, who is owned by Patti and Hal Earnhardt III. Indian Blessing will break from the rail and is the odds-on 3-5 favorite in the morning line.

Proud Spell, owned by former Kentucky governor Brereton Jones and trained by Larry Jones, will be ridden once again by regular rider Gabriel Saez, will break from post No. 2 and is 6-5 in the morning line.

The other members of the Fair Grounds Oaks field are Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Acacia and Tomisue Hilbert and John Menard’s Wisconsin Lady.

WEST/16 NOMINATED TO SANTA ANITA OAKS – The top five finishers from the Feb. 9 Las Virgenes Stakes (GI) are among 16 fillies nominated for Saturday’s $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (GI) at a mile and a sixteenth.

Ron McCauley’s Golden Doc A rallied from last in the six-horse field to take the 1-mile Las Virgenes by a length over Michael Bello’s Lovely Isle. Trained by Barry Abrams, Golden Doc A has a record of 3-2-1 in 10 races with earnings of $345,356. She closed at 32-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.

Other Las Virgenes runners nominated to the Santa Anita Oaks are the 3-5 finishers, Budget Stable and Team Valor’s Tasha’s Miracle, Bill Currin and Al Eisman’s Divine Legacy, and Suarez Racing, Paul LoDuca and J. Paul Reddam’s Grace Anatomy. Tasha’s Miracle was 76-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager and Grace Anatomy was 59-1.

Hal and Patti Earnhardt’s champion Indian Blessing also was nominated, but she is slated to run in Saturday’s Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) in New Orleans.

Sweeter Still Scores In China Doll – David J. Lanzman Racing Stable and Jason Wood’s Sweeter Still scored her first stakes victory by capturing Saturday’s $94,550 China Doll Stakes at Santa Anita by a length over Carnival Queen with 9-10 favorite Gorgeous Goose another half-length back in third in the field of seven.

Trained by Ral Ayers and ridden by Martin Garcia, stalked the pace of Czechers before taking over at midstretch and then holding off Carnival Queen, who rallied from last. Sweeter Still completed the mile over a “firm” turf course in 1:35.57.

A daughter of Rock of Gibraltar out of the Belmez mare Beltisaal, Sweeter Still improved her record to 4-2-0-0 with earnings of $88,757.