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Oaks Prep: Optionality Faces Secret Oath In Martha Washington

If the linemaker is correct, it will be a Hall of Fame exacta in the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Oaklawn.

Multiple stakes winner Optionality is the 9-5 program favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Secret Oath is the early 2-1 second choice for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Probable post time for the Martha Washington, which goes as the fourth of 11 races, is 1:32 p.m. (Central). First post Saturday is 12:02 p.m.

The 1 1/16-mile Martha Washington is Oaklawn's first of three Kentucky Oaks points races and will offer 17 to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1) toward starting eligibility for the country's biggest event for 3-year-old fillies.

While Optionality will be making her Oaklawn debut Saturday, Secret Oath may be the most impressive winner to date during the 2021-2022 meeting that began Dec. 3. Combining style and substance, Secret Oath demolished an allowance field by 8 ¼ lengths Dec. 31 under Luis Contreras to earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 93, among the highest in the country for a 2-year-old in 2021. The 1-mile race also marked the most lopsided victory in Oaklawn's brief history of running routes for 2-year-olds.

Paired for the first time with Contreras, Secret Oath raced well off the early pace and waited briefly in traffic reeling in the leaders on the second turn. Secret Oath moved three-wide turning for home and drew off in the final furlong to become the first female Oaklawn winner sired by the late champion Arrogate.

“If we can get that repeat performance, we'll be in pretty good shape,” Lukas said. “That was impressive. It was absolutely textbook. If I'd drawn it up on paper and got the other seven or eight or nine that were in there to cooperate, that's the way I would like it. I'd like to have her inside like that, catching dirt in her face and then angling out and opening up on them like that. That was textbook.”

A homebred for Briland Farm (Robert and Stacy Mitchell), Secret Oath returned with a half-mile bullet workout (:46.80) Jan. 11 in advance of her 3-year-old debut.

Lukas and Briland teamed to win three Oaklawn stakes ($100,000 Bayakoa in 2011 and 2012 and $75,000 Pippin in 2012) with Absinthe Minded, who is Secret Oath's dam.

Secret Oath's task now, Lukas said, is to record consecutive victories for the first time in her brief career. Secret Oath was coming off a fifth-place finish in the $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs. After finishing third in her career debut, Secret Oath broke her maiden by 5 ¼ lengths at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs.

“Some days these fillies are like your wife,” Lukas said. “They're a little temperamental and you can't always depend on them giving the same performance every day, so we'll look past that one, though, and look for a little improvement. I think she'll be one of the choices.”

Lukas is seeking his record-tying third Martha Washington victory, having won the race in 2010 with Decelerator and 2015 with champion Take Charge Brandi.

Asmussen also is seeking his third Martha Washington victory after winning the first division in 2008 (Sky Mom) and 2013 (Sister Ginger).

The rapidly improving Optionality, a homebred daughter of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner for Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron and Joan Winchell), has won her last three starts by a combined 21 ½ lengths.

Optionality won the $50,000 Zia Park Princess Stakes by 6 ½ lengths Nov. 23 at Zia Park and closed 2021 by winning the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes by 8 ¼ lengths Dec. 17 at Remington Park in her two-turn debut.

“She hasn't done anything wrong,” said David Fiske, the Winchells' longtime farm and racing manager. “Her speed figures keep increasing every time she goes out. We thought maybe she was just a sprinter, but going around two turns at Remington didn't seem to bother her that much. Won by a big margin, so we thought she deserved her chance to kind of step up on the big stage.”

The projected six-horse Martha Washington field from the rail out: Hypersport, Tiago Pereira to ride, 115 pounds; 8-1 on the morning line; Princess Pauline, Francisco Arrieta, 115, 8-1; Como Square, John Velazquez, 122, 5-2; Optionality, Ricardo Santana Jr., 122, 9-5; Cupid's Music, Luis Quinonez, 115, 20-1; and Secret Oath, Luis Contreras, 122, 2-1.

All six entrants will remove Lasix, owing to a ban on the anti-bleeder medication in Kentucky Oaks points races.

Unbeaten Como Square (2 for 2) will be making her seasonal, stakes and two-turn debut for trainer Brad Cox and breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs. Como Square was a 4 ¾-length winner of her Nov. 11 career debut at Indiana Grand and came from well off the pace to clear her first allowance condition Dec. 19 at Oaklawn, while her more highly regarded stablemate, Marr Time, a half-sister, to, among others, champion Beholder and super sire Into Mischief, finished last after becoming fractious in the gate.

“She got a good setup that day,” Cox said. “She's been a little surprising, I'll admit it. She's been a little surprising that she's 2 for 2, but you can't take anything away from her heart and determination. She's a very tough filly.”

Cox and Anthony teamed to win the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and run second in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) last year at Oaklawn with Como Square's half-brother, Caddo River. Como Square is by Into Mischief.

The speedy Hypersport figures to set the pace from the rail for trainer Ingrid Mason. Hypersport was a sharp opening-day maiden winner sprinting before finishing a leg-weary fourth, beaten 12 ¾ lengths by Secret Oath, in her two-turn debut New Year's Eve. Cupid's Music ran ninth in the Dec. 31 allowance race for breeder/owner/trainer Danele Durham. Supplemental nominee Princess Pauline is a four-race maiden for Asmussen.

The Martha Washington, which was inaugurated in 1979, is being run for the first time at 1 1/16 miles after previously being a mile.

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Six Stakes Worth $550,000 Comprise Laurel’s 10-Race Card On Saturday

Grade 3 winner Hibiscus Punch, multiple stakes winners Wondrwherecraigis and Cordmaker, and promising 3-year-old H P Moon are among the horses to watch on Laurel Park's stakes-filled Saturday program.

Six stakes worth $550,000 in purses help comprise Laurel's 10-race card, which begins at 12:10 p.m.

Stakes action begins in Race 3, the $75,000 Jennings for Maryland-bred/sired horses, where Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker chases his 13th career win, ninth in a stakes and third in row. Maryland-bred/sired females follow in Race 4, the $75,000 Geisha featuring Mike Trombetta-trained stablemates Kiss the Girl and Lookin Dynamic.

K E M Racing Stable and Five Hellions Farm's H P Moon will make just his second career start and first since an eye-opening debut triumph last August at Pimlico in Race 6, the $100,000 Spectacular Bid. The seven-furlong Spectacular Bid is Maryland's first stakes race of the season for 3-year-olds. Stakes winners Buff My Boots and Luna Belle headline the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies in Race 7.

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's homebred Hibiscus Punch ends an 8 ½ month break between starts in Race 8, the $100,000 What a Summer, just her second race since pulling a 41-1 upset in the 2021 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) last February at Laurel. Among the competition are stakes winners Princess Kokachin, Prodigy Doll, Kaylasaurus and Don't Call Me Mary.

Race 9 is the $100,000 Fire Plug featuring Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables' Wondrwherecraigis, last out winner of the Bold Ruler (G3) Oct. 31 at Belmont Park, the first career graded-stakes win for trainer Brittany Russell. Maryland-bred multiple stakes winner Jaxon Traveler, 2-0 lifetime at Laurel, is also entered.

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Michelle Lovell ‘Just Might’ Take Her Shot In Dubai

After crossing the finish line first in the Kenner Stakes at the Fair Grounds last weekend, Just Might's trainer Michelle Lovell is considering shipping him to Dubai for the $1.5 million Al Quoz Sprint on the March 26 Dubai World Cup undercard.

Impressively taking over early and winning the turf sprint by 2 ¾ lengths geared down late, Just Might was disqualified and placed 8th after the stewards ruled his move to the rail as impeding a foe's ability to get out of harm's way. Winning or finishing 1st in 7 out of his last 8 starts, his lone miss came in the Phoenix (G2) when he grabbed his quarter.

“People don't send me horses that could to go to Dubai,” Lovell said. “I had to raise one, which is crazy. I got to make every call in this horse's career and it makes me feel good that we got this far.

“Yeah, Dubai,” Lovell mused and spoke to Just Might in his stall. “It's a big step, Pappa. I think they have to give an official invite, too–they've asked me a few times to nominate. I think they want me to nominate.”

“It's a straight six furlongs,” Lovell continued. “We have nowhere to practice, but you know he probably will be okay. He runs his turns pretty good and he does make his little move right there sometimes. But he leans out in the turns so maybe he will be a little better going in a straight line. He leans out in every race just because he is going pretty fast and the turns on the turf are just sharper. He just runs.”

“He has really matured a lot this past year,” Lovell said. “I think one of his best races maturing in his brain as a race horse, not just raw talent but figuring it out, was when he ran and beat Johnny Ortiz' horse, Mucho, at Colonial. It was on the dirt which was a little scary for me, six furlongs which was stretching him out more. He actually dug in and won that race. And he lost his shoe somewhere in the race, too. He never took a bad step, he never tore his foot up but he did run the race with his left shoe off. And he dug in really hard–that day he grew up, really fighting that nice horse that Johnny has. And he broke the track record, which they don't really say a new track record because they didn't run a lot of races on the dirt there. He ran a 1:07 and change.”

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Hurry Up And Wait: Italian Import Wakanaka Ready For U.S. Debut In Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf

Wakanaka has a hurry-up-and-wait story that has delivered her to the TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Invitational (G3) Presented by PEPSI Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Bred in Ireland and purchased at a British sale for a mere $4,274, the 4-year-old daughter of Power built her reputation in Italy. Team Valor International CEO Barry Irwin was well aware of her juvenile success, enlisted Gary Barber, a partner in many other horses through the years, and completed the deal to purchase the filly about 10 months ago. Irwin said the name Wakanaka has its origins are in Zimbabwe and means “she's beautiful.”

Now trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Wakanaka has recovered from a physical issue and will have her U.S. coming-out party in the newest addition to the Pegasus World Cup Invitational program.

Wakanaka and jockey Umberto Rispoli will start from Post 2 in the 1 1/16th miles turf race for older fillies and mares.

“She was a good 2-year-old. She would have been the second-best 2-year-old filly in Italy,” Irwin said. “She had six starts: four wins, two seconds. She got beat by the filly (Aria Importante) that wound up being the champion.”

Irwin said that Wakanaka is built like a sprinter, not overly tall but stout and powerful. Three of her 2-year-old wins were in turf sprints by a combined 10 ¾ lengths.

A goal for top 3-year-old fillies in Italy is the Premio Regina Elena Italian One Thousand Guineas (G3) contested at the Capannelle Racecourse in Rome in late April.

“Everybody wants to win the 1000 Guineas equivalent. There it's a Group 3, but it's a Classic,” Irwin said. “That's the big focal point for all the fillies.”

Irwin said the major question about Wakanaka was answered on March 17 in her prep for the Premio Regina Elena, the Premio Cesare Degli Occhi at San Siro.

“Nobody knew if she could rate and they were able to rate her,” Irwin said. “She went a mile and she won by (6 ½) lengths, very impressively.”

Based on that performance, Irwin began the process of trying to buy the filly.

“I was contacted by an agent that we buy a lot of horses with,” he said. “I've gotten plenty of horses in Italy and done extremely well with them. We've had a champion and a couple of Grade 1 winners over the years. I was familiar with the type of races that she was running in. I watched her and I had somebody go in there and check her out for me, a friend of mine who lives there.”

Irwin said he balked at the asking price, then reached out to Barber. The plan they developed was to buy the filly but allow the owner/trainer Diego Dettori to run her in the Premio Regina Elena in his colors and keep whatever purse money she earned.

“He's a young guy,” Irwin said. “It was his first big win. All we wanted was the filly.”

Wakanaka managed to overcome some traffic issues and improved to 6-2-0 from eight starts.

“She had kind of a rough trip. She was stuck between horses. She did rate well,” Irwin said. “Then when she got out, with about a furlong and a half to go, she exploded, opened up about two and a half and then won in hand by a length and a half.”

“We were very happy with that race. She got good speed ratings in Europe for that effort. She's a very likable filly. She's got a lot of pizazz about her. And she's got instant turn of foot, which is the one thing that we liked. That's why we buy so many horses over there. You tell them to go, and it's like now.”

Irwin said they asked Mott to train the horse because of his past success with horses from Italy. It did not turn out to be a be a smooth transition from Europe to American racing, though.

“She wound up getting bone bruising so we had to turn her out for two months,” Irwin said.

When she was ready, trainer Mark Casse and his staff helped get her fit before Mott arrived for the winter at Payson Park. Irwin said that Wakanaka got Mott's attention when she turned in a bullet work on Dec. 13. She has worked every week since and Irwin and Mott decided to run her in the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf.

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