Kentucky Oaks 134 Update: March 24

TOP STORIES:

- Jones, Maren's Meadow Take Bourbonette
- Eight Belles Could Take On Boys in Arkansas Derby
- 2007 Kentucky Oaks Winner Rags to Riches Retired

MIDWEST/MAREN’S MEADOW TAKES BOURBONETTE OAKS FOR RED HOT JONES – Trainer J. Larry Jones was already in a strong position on the road to the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) on May 2 at Churchill Downs with major contenders Proud Spell and Eight Belles in his barn, but another filly served notice on Saturday that she deserves some attention in the 3-year-old filly division.

Sandra Rasmussen’s Maren’s Meadow scored a 1 ½-length victory for the Hopkinsville, Ky. native in Saturday’s $150,000-added Bourbonette Oaks (GIII) at Turfway Park.  The daughter of Meadowlake collared pacesetter Love Buzz on the turn for home and drew out to win under jockey Gabriel Saez.  Valentine Fever rallied for second while favored A to the Croft finished third.

Maren’s Meadow had finished second to Sky Mom in a division of the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park in her previous start.  That was her first race at a two-turn distance.

“Since we started putting her around two turns, she’s been a different horse,” said Jones.  “If you look at her, she just looks like a two-turn horse.”

Jones said Maren’s Meadow would point toward the Black Eyed Susan (GII), which is run on the eve of the $1 million Preakness (GI) at Pimlico and leave the Kentucky Oaks to her star stablemates, Brereton Jones’ Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner Proud Spell and Fox Hill Farms’ Honeybee (GIII) winner Eight Belles.

The third-place finish by A to the Croft came in her first start since a ninth-place finish in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) at Monmouth Park.  The Ken McPeek-trained daughter of Menifee had finished second to Country Star in the Darley Alcibiades (GI) at Keeneland and to Irish Smoke in the Spinaway (GI) at Saratoga prior to that outing.

“Anytime you hit the board in a graded stakes race, it’s nice,” said McPeek.  “She’s a good filly.  We’re going to win some big ones with her.”   

Downtown Drifter finished fourth in the Bourbonette Oaks, and was followed by Morakami, Lovers Spat, Clearly Foxy and Love Buzz.

SOUTH/EIGHT BELLES NOMINATED TO ARKANSAS DERBY – Eight Belles has earned sensational reviews during a three-race winning streak that has carried her near the top of any roster of contenders for Kentucky Oaks 134, but there’s a chance that the daughter of Unbridled’s Song could get a chance to take on the most talented males of her generation.

Owner Rick Porter and trainer J. Larry Jones have nominated Eight Belles to the $1 million Arkansas Derby (GII), which will be run on April 12 at Oaklawn Park.  Jones had been pointing Eight Belles toward a run against fillies in Oaklawn’s Fantasy (GII) on April 6.

“Right now we are targeting the Fantasy for Eight Belles, but the Arkansas Derby is an interesting option,” Jones said.

Eight Belles notched the first graded stakes win of her career when she whipped previously unbeaten Pure Clan in the Honeybee.  That win came on the heels of a 13 ½-length romp in a division of the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park and a 15-length victory in a Fair Grounds allowance race.

WEST/IZARRA INJURED, OUT OF OAKS PICTURE – Janis Whitham’s Izarra, runner-up by a nose to Cry and Catch Me in the Oak Leaf (GI) at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet, is out of training after suffered a cracked cannon bone during a workout late last week.

Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally told Daily Racing Form the injury occurred after the filly had breezed six furlongs on Thursday at Santa Anita.  Izarra was scheduled to undergo surgery over the weekend to place stabilizing screws in the injured leg.

“It could have been worse,” said McAnally.  “They’ll put a couple of screws in there.  They come back from injuries like this.”

The homebred daughter of Distorted Humor has one victory in five career starts, but was also third to Set Play in the Del Mar Debutante (GI).  She completed her 2007 campaign with a tenth place finish behind champion Indian Blessing in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI).  She finished fifth to that rival in the Santa Ynez (GII) in her only start of 2008.

2007 KENTUCKY OAKS WINNER RAGS TO RICHES RETIRED – Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Rags to Riches, the winner of the 2007 Kentucky Oaks who went on to defeat males in the Belmont Stakes (GI), has been retired from racing after suffering an injury.

The daughter of A.P. Indy, the first member of her gender to win the Belmont Stakes in a century, was scheduled to resume racing this year after a 3-year-old campaign that was shortened by a hairline fracture to her right front pastern.  That injury was apparently suffered during a runner-up finish to Lear’s Princess in the Gazelle (GI) at Belmont Park, her only loss in six 2007 starts.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Rags to Riches suffered a recurrence of that injury and the timing prompted the decision to retire the filly to Ashford Stud rather than attempt to bring her back for a racing campaign in the fall.  She will be bred to leading sire Giant’s Causeway.

“It’s a sad day for racing and all of her fans,” said Pletcher.  “She will go down in the history books as one of the best fillies ever to run.”

Pletcher’s filly scored her historic Belmont Stakes victory at the expense of Curlin, the Preakness (GI) winner and eventual winner of the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) and “Horse of the Year” honors.  She was honored with the Eclipse Award that recognized her as America’s top 3-year-old filly of 2007.

Rags to Riches earned $1,342,528 during her racing career.  She also won the Las Virgenes (GI) and Santa Anita Oaks (GI) in 2007.  Her only other defeat in seven races was a fourth place finish in her racing debut at Churchill Downs in June 2006.