Last year's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Oath (f, 4, Arrogate–Absinthe Minded, by Quiet American) returned to the races in style in Saturday's GII Azeri S. at Oaklawn.
The 7-5 second choice raced one from the back rounding the clubhouse turn after exiting from the one hole. Racing under a nice hold down the backstretch, she launched her familiar, wide sweeping move on the far turn, hit the front under confident handling in the stretch and had 2 3/4 lengths to spare over favored MGISW Clairiere (Curlin), last seen just missing by a head while finishing third in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 5. Interstatedaydream (Classic Empire) was third.
“She's got such a long stride,” said D. Wayne Lukas, who also trained the race's brilliant namesake Azeri. “She just kicks. When she kicks it in like that, her stride increases about four feet. She just eats that ground up. It's impressive to watch it. I thought she would run a big one today. I have so much respect for Steve Asmussen's filly (Clairiere). I was confident she would run a big one, but when you've got a field this tough, you've got to beat them. I just thought she would throw a real good one today because I did everything I wanted to do with her coming into it. I didn't have to adjust a work or anything. I did it all when I wanted to. I thought I had her tuned.”
Lukas added that Secret Oath will start next in the $1-million GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn Apr. 15.
Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione added, “I didn't want to rush her off her feet. I know what kind of kick she has, so I just let her kind of find herself in the place she wanted to be. Going into the (second turn), she tried to go about the three-eighths pole. Just took a little hold of her and she came right back to me. Swung her out coming down the stretch. Showed her the whip once and she finished the job well.”
Secret Oath improved her record to four-for-five in Hot Springs. She was an impressive winner of last term's GIII Honeybee S. and Martha Washington S., and was also third as the favorite against the boys in the GI Arkansas Derby.
The Azeri ended a five-race losing streak for Secret Oath. Second behind champion 3-year-old filly Nest (Curlin) in Saratoga's GI CCA Oaks and GI Alabama S. last summer, the GI Preakness S. fourth-place finisher concluded her sophomore campaign with a fifth-place finish after leading in the stretch in the Distaff.
Pedigree Notes:
Secret Oath is one of four graded winners, all Grade I winners, for the gone-too-soon Arrogate.
Robert Mitchell and his wife Stacy purchased Secret Oath's then 10-year-old second dam Rockford Peach for $36,000 in foal to Running Stag at the Adena Springs sale at Fasig-Tipton in 2001, and clearly the best of the 11 foals she produced for Briland Farm was her fourth to hit the ground, Absinthe Minded.
Also trained by Lukas, the daughter of Quiet American won two renewals of the Bayakoa S. and the Pippin S. at Oaklawn and was placed twice in the GI Apple Blossom H. Outside of Arkansas, Absinthe Minded was narrowly runner-up in the 2011 GII Shuvee H. and third in that year's GII Molly Pitcher S. All totaled, the mare won six times from 35 starts and bankrolled over $607,000.
The fourth foal for her dam, Secret Oath was cataloged through Bluewater Sales as hip 1242 to the 2020 Keeneland September Sale, but a bit of fate intervened and she was withdrawn.
Absinthe Minded is the dam of an unraced 3-year-old filly by Medaglia d'Oro. She was most recently covered by Unbridled's Song's son Liam's Map in 2022.
Saturday, Oaklawn
AZERI S.-GII, $350,000, Oaklawn, 3-11, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:43.26, ft.
1–SECRET OATH, 119, f, 4, by Arrogate
1st Dam: Absinthe Minded (MSW & MGISP, $607,747), by Quiet American
2nd Dam: Rockford Peach, by Great Above
3rd Dam: Strawberry Skyline, by Hatchet Man
O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY);
T-D. Wayne Lukas; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $213,850. Lifetime
Record: GISW, 14-6-2-3, $1,982,267. Werk Nick Rating: F.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Clairiere, 119, m, 5, Curlin–Cavorting, by Bernardini.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $65,800.
3–Interstatedaydream, 119, f, 4, Classic Empire–Babcock, by
Uncle Mo. ($105,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $130,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP;
$175,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Flurry Racing Stables LLC;
B-William D. Graham (ON); T-Brad H. Cox. $32,900.
Margins: 2 3/4, HD, HF. Odds: 1.40, 1.10, 5.90.
Also Ran: Hot and Sultry, Le Da Vida (Chi), Lovely Ride, Hidden Connection, Moon Swag.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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