Kentucky Oaks 134 Update: March 17th

TOP STORIES:
- Eight Belles Gallops in Honeybee
- Awesome Chic Upsets in Florida Oaks
- Sky Mom Rolls in Sunland Park Oaks
- Carolyn's Cat Gate-to-Wire in Cicada

SOUTH/EIGHT BELLES DOMINANT IN HONEYBEE – Fox Hill Farm’s Eight Belles solidified her status one of the brightest stars to emerge on the road to the 134th running of the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) with an easy victory in Sunday’s $100,000 Honeybee Stakes (GIII) at Oaklawn Park.

Her victory margin was only 1 ¼ lengths over the previously unbeaten Pure Clan, the winner last fall of Churchill Downs’ $250,000-added Golden Rod (GII) and $150,000-added Pocahontas (GIII) after two earlier wins on grass.  But the manner in which Eight Belles galloped to victory under supremely confident jockey Ramon Dominguez, left a strong impression on the crowd of 10,700 who watched the race at the Hot Springs, Ark. track and those who looked on at satellite wagering centers across North America.

The victory in the Honeybee was the third straight for the imposing 3-year-old daughter of Unbridled’s Song for trainer J. Larry Jones, the Hopkinsville, Ky. native who has another major contender for the Kentucky Oaks in Brereton C. Jones’ Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner Proud Spell. The odds-on favorite at 3-5, she covered the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:43.91 – which just missed Saturday’s winning time posted by the 3-year-old colt Sierra Sunset, a contender for the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) at Churchill Downs on May 3.  The time posted by Eight Belles was .03 slower than Sierra Sunset’s clocking.

“She’s a very talented filly and so is Proud Spell,” said Jones.  “We’re very blessed.  Both of them ran the same or better times than the boys.  Proud Spell was faster than (Grade II Louisiana Derby winner) Pyro in Louisiana.”

Eight Belles – named for the summer home of artist Andrew Wyeth in Portland, Maine – won for the fourth time in eight races and pushed her career earnings to $158,650.  She had won a division of Oaklawn’s Martha Washington by 13 ½ lengths in her most recent start, and had romped to a 15-length score in a Fair Grounds allowance race prior to that.

Jones’ filly tracked early leader Kadira in fourth, then eased alongside the pacesetter leaving the backstretch.  She easily pulled out to a commanding lead in upper stretch and was under a confident hand ride by Dominguez in the final eighth of a mile.

While she suffered her first loss in five races, the runner-up effort by Pure Clan was a strong one.  The daughter of Pure Prize rallied strongly in the stretch to easily gain second in the field of six while Kadira held for third.

Jones, who saddled Island Sand to finish second to champion Ashado in the 2004 Kentucky Oaks, is mulling over the next start for Eight Belles, but that could come in the $250,000 Fantasy (GII) at Oaklawn Park on April 6.

Eight Belles (8-1) and Pure Clan (7-1) were among the favorites in Pool 2 of Churchill Downs Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.  Two-time Grade I winner Country Star was the Pool 2 favorite at 5-1, while Proud Spell closed at odds of 6-1.

SOUTHEAST/AWESOME CHIC SURPRISES IN FLORIDA OAKS – Aurora Springs Stable’s Awesome Chic, dismissed at odds of 13-1 despite a previous stakes victory over the track, rolled up the rail under jockey Irwin Rosendo and drew off to a decisive 4 ½-length victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Florida Oaks (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 3-year-old daughter of Awesome Again completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.38 over a “fast” track in turning back Elusive Lady and favored My Baby Baby in the Florida Oaks field of eight 3-year-old fillies.  She had won the Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 19 and was making her debut at a two-turn distance in the Florida Oaks.

The victory by Awesome Chic moved Aurora Springs owner Jose Acero to tears.  He said a victory in a graded race like the Florida Oaks was the goal of his late father, also named Jose.  He now looks forward to racing his filly in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

“She has the class, and today she showed she’s a tough contender for the distance,” said Acero.  “God will bless us, and we will be (at Churchill) on the second of May, the day my father passed away 30 years ago.”

The Florida-bred filly has now won three of five starts, including a 17 ½-length romp in her debut at Suffolk Downs in early November.

WEST/ASMUSSEN’S SKY MOM ROLLS AT SUNLAND – Heather Stark’s Sky Mom roared to the third stakes victory of her career as the Steve Asmussen-trained daughter of Maria’s Mon withstood a stewards’ inquiry to win Sunday’s $200,000 WinStar Sunland Park Oaks at New Mexico’s Sunland Park.

Sky Mom scored a dominant 4 ¾-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile race, but had ducked in sharply as she rushed to the lead under jockey Garrett Gomez in upper stretch.  Her move prompted runner-up Snake Proof to check and alter her course, but the track’s stewards ruled that her action did not have an impact on the order of finish.

The favored Sky Mom covered the distance in 1:44.50 on a “fast” track.  R Charlie’s Angel was third, but finished 8 ¼ lengths behind the runner-up.  She won a division of the Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park in her previous start following a 2-year-old campaign that had been highlighted by a victory in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies at Turfway Park.

Grace Anatomy, the second choice in Sunday’s race, finished sixth.

Sky Mom boosted her career record to 5-2-2 in 11 races with earnings of $330,341.

EAST/CAROLYN’S CAT LEADS ALL THE WAY IN CICADA – William K. Warren’s Carolyn’s Cat withstood an early challenge from Dill Or No Dill and led throughout for a 3 ¾-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada Stakes (GIII) on the Inner Track at Aqueduct.

The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained daughter of Forestry won for the third time in six career starts as she covered six furlongs in 1:10.16 under jockey Alan Garcia.  Ready for Fortune closed late under Mario Pino to grab the runner-up spot by 4 ¼ lengths over Dill Or No Dill.

The 7-5 favorite, Carolyn’s Cat notched the first graded stakes victory of her career as she turned back four rivals in the Cicada.

“Mr. Warren has been very patient with this filly, and he told us all along that this would be a graded stakes filly,” said Artie Magnuson, the assistant who saddled Carolyn’s Cat for the Cicada while McLaughlin was in Lexington, Ky. to serve as grand marshal of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  “It looks like speed is her weapon.”