road to the kentucky oaks | Horse Racing Free Tips

Piece Of My Heart Aims For Kentucky Oaks Points In Delaware Oaks

Wolfe Racing and Hugh Robertson's Piece of My Heart tops a field of eight in the $300,000 Grade III Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park this Saturday. The Oaks has been carded as the eighth race with an approximate post time of 4:45 p.m.

For the first time, the mile a sixteenth affair will be a points race for the Grade I Kentucky Oaks which was rescheduled to September 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delaware Oaks will be worth 50 points to the winner, 20 points for second, 10 points for third and five for fourth.

Piece of My Heart has won her last two at Oaklawn Park. In her most recent, the Florida-bred trained by McLean Robertson posted a 1 ½-length score in the mile and a sixteenth $80,000 Gardenia Stakes on May 1. Previously, the daughter of Flat Out notched a 1-length triumpn in a one mile allowance on April 10. She has a career record of three wins, two seconds and a third from eight starts with earnings of $135,750.

She has had four workouts at Delaware Park with her most recent on June 30 when she breezed five furlongs over a fast main track in 1:00.

“She is doing real good,” said trainer McLean Robertson. “It looks like she gets over the Delaware Park surface really well. Hopefully, she will run the same as last time. It took her a little while for her, but she got awful good at Oaklawn and she is doing really good here, so we are looking forward to Saturday.”

WinStar Farm, Lindy Farms, and Madaket Stables' Comical will be seeking redemption as she finished second to Piece of My Heart in the Gardenia Stakes in her last race. Previously, the Kentucky-bred trained by Steven Asmussen second in a mile and a sixteenth allowance at Oaklawn Park on March 28. In her only other outing this year, she finished fourth in mile and forty yards $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 8. Last year, she posted a record of two wins, a second and a third from nine starts including a win the Grade III Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga and a second in the Grade I Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita. She has a record of two wins, three seconds and a third from nine starts with earnings of $271,251.

$300,000 Grade III Delaware Oaks

For 3-year-old fillies

at a mile and a sixteenth

#	HORSE	OWNER	TRAINER	JOCKEY	Wg	ODD
1	Comical	WinStar, Lindy Farms, Mad	Steven Asmussen	Alex Cintron	116	5/2
2	Piece of My Heart	Wolfe Racing & Robertson	McLean Robertson	Joe Talamo	118	2-1
3	Princess Cadey	Magic Stable	Claudio Gonzalez	Angel Cruz	120	10-1
4	Long Point Beach	Five Hellions Farm	Lacey Gaudet	Feargal Lynch	116	15-1
5	Hopeful Growth	St. Elias Stable	Anthony Margotta Jr	Trevor McCarthy	116	10-1
6	Project Whiskey	Cash Is King LC Racing	Robert Reid	Frankie Pennington	116	12-1
7	Dream Marie	Miracle's International	Matthew Williams	Joe Bravo	116	7/2
8	Queen Bridget	Mary Ann Gould	John Alexander Ortiz	Tyler Baze	116	12-1

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Ellis Park’s Aug. 9 Audubon Oaks Added To Churchill’s Road To The Kentucky Oaks

Ellis Park not only has the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby as a qualifying race for the rescheduled Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, the track's $100,000 Audubon Oaks is now a stop on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Both stakes races are Sunday Aug. 9.

Ellis Park's 98th annual meet will run from July 2 through August 30.

This year's Ellis Park Derby winner will receive 50 points, virtually ensuring a spot in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby under Churchill Downs' tiered system of qualifying races. Also earning points from the 1 1/8-mile race will be the runner-up (20), third place (10) and fourth (5). The seven-furlong Audubon Oaks, back on the Ellis Park stakes schedule after an 11-year hiatus, will offer a total of 17 points (10-4-2-1) for the top four finishers toward making the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks' 14-filly field.

“We cannot thank Churchill Downs enough for including the Audubon Oaks as one of its additions to the Kentucky Oaks points races,” said Ellis Park general manager Jeff Inman. “This is a huge and obviously historic opportunity for Ellis Park to have official prep races for the Derby and Oaks. We decided to bring the Audubon Oaks back off the shelf this year and being on the Kentucky Oaks schedule is a great way to welcome it back.

“We assume we will get horses trying to secure a spot in the Derby or Oaks, in addition we think our stakes are also positioned perfectly for horses who already have qualified but could benefit from a tune-up four weeks out. Trainers can stay put in Kentucky from now through the Derby and beyond, with the Breeders' Cup being at Keeneland this year. We're an easy ship from Churchill Downs, Keeneland and the state's training centers. With one of the best racing surfaces in the country, Ellis Park offers a convenient way to get in that final prep without the stress of significant travel.”

The Ellis Park Derby falls four weeks after Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass and 4 1/2 weeks after Indiana Grand's Indiana Derby. The Audubon Oaks offers similar spacing from Keeneland's Ashland Stakes and Beaumont, as well as the Indiana Oaks.

Ellis Park has a tie to the past two winners of the Kentucky Oaks, with 2019 winner Serengeti Empress taking the 2018 Ellis Park Debutante and 2018 heroine Monomoy Girl training all summer at Ellis before launching her 2-year-old career.

The Ellis Park Derby could be a stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby for Lloyd Madison Farms' Major Fed, whose next start will be either the Blue Grass or the Indiana Derby, said trainer Greg Foley, who added that the Audubon Oaks could be a good fit for his filly Sconsin, a recent Churchill Downs allowance winner at 19-1 odds.

“I think it will be great for Ellis Park,” said the Louisville-based Foley. “Those people down there, they love that racing. It's sure coming in handy for them, the weird year we having. There will be people showing up for those points, and it's a great, safe racetrack. Those will probably come up pretty tough races.”

Brad Cox, a two-time leading trainer at Ellis Park, is among those welcoming the additions. Cox said that Godolphin Racing's Shared Sense, who finished second in a second-level allowance race June 13, and Rupp Racing's recently gelded Shake Some Action could be candidates for the Ellis Park Derby. Flurry Racing Stables' Shedaresthedevil, an impressive Churchill Downs allowance winner on June 5, could be a possibility for the Audubon Oaks, he said.

“It's good money,” Cox said of the Ellis Park Derby. “It's an opportunity they're giving us, and I'm hoping to have something for it.”

Owner Chester Thomas of Madisonville also hopes to participate in the Ellis Park Derby at what he considers his hometown track. One possibility could be the Bret Calhoun-trained Mr. Big News, winner of the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes at 46-1 odds in his last start.

“As someone who has been going to Ellis Park my entire life, I'm unbelievably excited about the track having a Kentucky Derby prep — although I'm hoping these are once-in-a-lifetime circumstances and we never have to deal with a coronavirus again,” said Thomas, a two-time Ellis Park leading owner. “But it's a great opportunity to have Derby contenders coming to Ellis Park, and hopefully we can have something in the Ellis Park Derby starting gate and, even better, in the winner's circle.”

Ellis Park 2020 stakes

July 5 — $50,000 Ellis Park Turf Stakes, fillies & mares 3 years old & up, 1 1/16 miles (turf).
July 26 — $50,000 Good Lord Stakes, 3-year-olds & up, 6 1/2 furlongs.
Aug. 2 (all on turf) — $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint, fillies & mares 3 years old & up, 5 1/2 furlongs; $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup, 3-year-olds & up, 1 1/4 miles; $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf, fillies & mares 3 years old &up, mile); $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint, 3-year-olds & up, 5 1/2 furlongs; $100,000* Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile, 3-year-olds & up, mile.
Aug. 9 — $200,000* Ellis Park Derby, 3-year-olds; 1 1/8 miles; $100,000* Audubon Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs; $100,000* Ellis Park Juvenile, 2-year-olds, 7 furlongs; $100,000* Ellis Park Debutante, 7 furlongs.
*-includes $25,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund

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Joseph Pondering Next Kentucky Derby, Oaks Preps For Ny Traffic, Tonalist’s

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. sent Ny Traffic and Tonalist's Shape to the Gulfstream Park racetrack Sunday morning in South Florida to prepare for upcoming preps for the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1), respectively.

John Fanelli, Cash Is King LLC, LC Racing and Paul Braverman's Ny Traffic returned to the worktab for the first time since finishing second in the May 23 Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs. The son of Cross Traffic breezed three-furlongs in 37.50 seconds.

“He went an easy three-eighths,” Joseph said. “We're not sure where we're going to go yet – probably the [Grade 2] Blue Grass, [July 11 at Keeneland], the [Grade 1] Haskell [July 18 at Monmouth Park], the [Grade 3] Indiana Derby [July 8 at Indiana Grand] or the [Grade 3] Ohio Derby [June 27 at Thistledown]. We're going to talk it over.”

Ny Traffic, who finished a length behind Maxfield in the Matt Winn, previously finished second, 1 ½ lengths behind Wells Bayou in the Louisiana Derby (G2), and third in the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds. In his first start for Joseph, the New York-bred colt scored a front-running 6 ¾-length romp in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Jan. 11.

Ny Traffic currently ranks seventh with 70 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Racing Inc.'s Tonalist's Shape breezed a half-mile in 46.75 seconds, the fastest of 68 recorded at the distance, following up a three-furlong workout in a solid 35.50 seconds a week earlier.

“She was never a super work horse, but her last two works have been really good,” Joseph said. “We haven't decided where we're going to go. The [Grade 1] Acorn [June 20 at Belmont Park] is a possibility. Maybe the [Grade 1] Ashland [Aug. 1 at Keeneland]. There's an outside possibility she could go in the [Grade 3] Delaware Oaks [July 4 at Delaware Park].”

Tonalist's Shape is coming off a sharp 3 ¾-length victory in the May 15 Hollywood Wildcat, her first around two turns, rebounding from sustaining her first career loss in the March 28 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). The Kentucky-bred filly had won her first five starts, including victories in the Forward Gal (G3) and the Davona Dale (G2) during the 2019-2020 Championship Meet at Gulfstream.

Tonalist's Shape currently ranks sixth with 60 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

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