secret oath | Horse Racing Free Tips

Terry Finley Talks OBS March, Next Start for Flightline On Writers’ Room

Shortly before purchasing eight horses on the first day of the OBS March Sale, West Point Thoroughbreds CEO Terry Finley joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday morning as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about the strength of the sales market, trying to find the perfect formula in analyzing and purchasing horses at auction, the latest with superstar Flightline (Tapit) and much more.

“There is no secret sauce, and we bring that up to prospective partners all the time, to acknowledge something that's obvious to all of us who have been in the game.” Finley said about buying sale horses. “There's a small segment of the group of horses that are going to be sold [this week] that, on the surface, are obvious. They put everything together–they pass the vet, they work really, really well. Those, you don't really have to think a whole lot about. But the vast majority of them are in the middle … Some consignors, if you see a :10 1/5 [furlong breeze] and know their history and the way they bring these horses to market, you know that might be very, very good. Then you see somebody else with a bevy of :9 4/5s and they have a horse breeze :10 2/5, that's a factor. You talk about the way they come away from the pole. There are some of them that don't come away from the eighth pole as quickly as they probably could have, so :10 2/5 on top of a good gallop-out is going to pick our heads up. You look at the way they've come out of the breezes and the way they're acting because they've got a lot of stress on them. There are so many things that come into play. It's a beautiful game, and you've always got to continue to improve your process.”

Finley was later asked for an update on undefeated supernova Flightline, who is three-for-three, with each performance more devastating than the next, but missed a planned start in Saturday's GII San Carlos S. Mar. 5 due to a strain in a hock.

“As much as everybody else, we'd love to run him more,” Finley said. “It's just the circumstances. He's not an unsound horse by any stretch. He just strained a hock and that took him out of training for three-and-a-half, four weeks, but he's back at the racetrack and he's just about ready to turn around and start galloping. We'll be there in New York on Belmont Stakes day for the Met Mile, and we can't wait. We'd love for it to be as solid a field as possible, because I think when he runs against those better horses and is successful, the aura around him continues to grow. It'll be a long, long wait between now and late in the day on Belmont day, but we just hope the wait is worth it. It's an honor to be associated with a horse like this. Anybody that buys horses and plays the game, they see the Justifys, the American Pharoahs and you dream about, 'What does that feel like?' I asked myself on a continuous basis, 'When is it going to be our time?' Horses do so much for us, and when you get one like this, it's a very, very special feeling. He could be one of the ones they talk about 100 years from now. And that just puts a smile on your face.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, West Point Thoroughbreds, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, Lane's End, Canterbury Park, XBTV and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers discussed the state of the GI Kentucky Derby trail, D. Wayne Lukas's decision to try filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) against males in the GI Arkansas Derby, Churchill running the GI Arlington Million card in Louisville this summer and more. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Terry Finley Talks OBS March, Next Start for Flightline On Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Mar. 10

It was a big weekend for the 3-year-old fillies with prep races for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks held at Aqueduct, Santa Anita, Gulfstream and Turfway. Secret Oath (Arrogate) remains on top for Wayne Lukas, but it was tempting to move Kathleen O. (Upstart) to the top spot after another impressive win, this time in the GII Davona Dale S. In California, the Bob Baffert-trained Eda (Munnings) won the GIII Santa Ysabel S., but until the Baffert horses are nominated to the Oaks they won't be included in our rankings. That also includes GIII Las Virgenes S. winner Adare Manor (Uncle Mo).

It will be a quiet couple of weeks for the nation's top 3-year-old fillies as the next race that includes Kentucky Oaks points will be the Mar. 26 GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will be available starting Friday and closes Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) is the 4-1 morning line favorite, followed by Secret Oath at 6-1 and Kathleen O. at 8-1.

1) SECRET OATH (Arrogate–Absinthe Minded, by Quiet American) O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-1, $285,167. Last Start: 1st GIII Honeybee S. Next Start: GIII Fantasy S., OP, Apr. 2. KY Oaks Points: 60.

Trainer Wayne Lukas continues to say that the GIII Fantasy S. will likely be next for Secret Oath, but he has not completely ruled out a start against males in the GI Arkansas Derby. With most other trainers, there would be no debate and the Fantasy would be the clear choice, but Lukas has a history of running fillies vs. colts and is one of only three trainers to win the GI Kentucky Derby with a filly, which he did in 1988 with Winning Colors. The Arkansas Derby makes perfect sense for Secret Oath. For one, unless Bob Baffert ships in something from his first string, she will be the favorite. And if she doesn't run in the Arkansas Derby, she can't run in the Kentucky Derby. She won't have any points. There's also the matter of the purse, $600,000 for the Fantasy vs. $1.25 million for the Arkansas Derby. C'mon, Wayne–this might be your last chance to win a Kentucky Derby. Go for it.

2) KATHLEEN O. (Upstart–Quaver, by Blame) O-Winngate Stables, LLC; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. & Bridlewood Farm (KY); T-Shug McGaughey. Sales History: $8,000 wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 ylg '20 OBSOCT; $275,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-3-0-0, $226,280. Last Start: 1st GII Davona Dale S. Next Start: GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, GP, Apr. 2. KY Oaks Points: 50.

After Kathleen O. had recorded impressive wins in a maiden race and the Cash Run S., she was asked to step up over the weekend and prove that she was good enough to handle graded stakes company. That was the storyline when she faced six others in the Davona Dale on Saturday at Gulfstream and the end result was another visually impressive win. It takes her a while to get going, but once she does she displays a tremendous turn of foot. Once again, she made it look easy, powering past her competition in the stretch. The only knock on her is that she never gets a particularly good Beyer figure. After earning a 67 and then a 78 in her first two starts, she was given an 85 Beyer for the Davona Dale. She will try two turns for first time in the Apr. 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, but that shouldn't be a problem. If anything, she should be better around two turns than one. An exciting prospect.

3) NEST (Curlin–Marion Ravenwood, by A.P. Indy) O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Michael House; B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $350,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-3-0-1, $265,000. Last Start: 1st Suncoast S. Next Start: GI Central Bank Ashland S., KEE, Apr. 8. KY Oaks Points: 20.

Nest was not in action last weekend, but her win in the GII Demoiselle S. has never looked better. The runner-up, Venti Valentine (Firing Line), came back and won the Busher Invitational at Aqueduct. The race also produced next-out winner Magic Circle (Kantharos), who took the Busanda S. In her second start after finishing fourth in the Demoiselle; and Nostalgic (Medaglia d'Oro) picked up a win on Sunday at Gulftream in an allowance. After his filly won the Demoiselle, trainer Todd Pletcher picked out a soft spot for her, the Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs, which she won by six lengths. It will get tougher next time as she is scheduled to try Grade I company for the first time when she goes in the Ashland at Keeneland.

4) ECHO ZULU (Gun Runner–Letgomyecho, by Menifee) 'TDN Rising Star' O-L and N Racing LLC & Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/ Ramsby (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Sales History: $300,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly, MGISW, 4-4-0-0, $1,480,000. Last Start: 1st GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies S. Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 26. KY Oaks Points: 30.

Echo Zulu, last year's champion 2-year-old filly, has yet to race this year and her connections have said there is no guarantee that she will make the Oaks. But she continues to make progress in the mornings and has now had five workouts this year, the last three at five furlongs. That may be enough for her to start in the Fair Grounds Oaks later this month. If she does, there shouldn't be any problem making the Kentucky Oaks. Should she win the Fair Grounds race she would reassume her spot as the best 3-year-old filly in training. Don't forget how dominant she was last year and in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

5) HAPPY SOUL (Runhappy–Cowgirl Lucky, by Stephen Got Even) O-Gayla Rankin; B-Harris Training Center, LLC (KY); T-Wesley Ward. Sales History: $50,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MSW, 4-3-1-0, $238,500. Last Start: 1st Dixie Belle S. Next Start: Next Start: GI Central Bank Ashland S., KEE, Apr. 8. KY Oaks Points: 0.

It's official. They're going for it. Trainer Wesley Ward has confirmed that Happy Soul will go next in the Ashland, a major prep for the Kentucky Oaks. The other option was the GIII Beaumont S., a seven-furlong sprint. The Ashland will be quite the test for Happy Soul, who will attempt to stretch out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. She's won three times, most recently in the Dixie Belle S. at Oaklawn, and when it comes to sheer speed there may not be a faster filly in the country. It will all come down to whether or not she can carry that speed a distance. That Ward is willing to try it tells you how much confidence he has in this filly.

Venti Valentine | Sarah Andrew

6) VENTI VALENTINE (Firing Line–Glory Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro) O-NY Final Furlong Racing Stable & Parkland Thoroughbreds; B-Final Furlong Racing Stable & Maspeth Stable (NY); T-Jorge Abreu. Lifetime Record: MSW & GSP, 4-3-1-0, $366,250. Last Start: 1st Busher Invitational S. Next Start: GIII Gazelle S., AQU, Apr. 9. KY Oaks Points: 54.

New to the rankings, Venti Valentine made her way on to the list with a seven-length win in the Busher for trainer Jorge Abreu. There were only five horses in the race, but it was far from an easy spot. The field included last-out stakes winners Shotgun Hottie (Gun Runner) and Magic Circle, as well as the Shug McGaughey-trained Radio Days (Gun Runner), who was the 1-2 favorite. Venti Valentine was dismissed at 5-1, but there was nothing fluky about her win. The New York-bred backed up her performance from last year when she was a close second behind Nest in the Demoiselle. Trainer Jorge Abreu is looking for his first graded stakes win. He won the 2019 Busher with Venti Valentine's half-sister, Espresso Shot (Mission Impazible), who did not make it to the Oaks.

7) TURNERLOOSE (Nyquist–Goaltending, by A.P. Indy) O-Ike & Dawn Thrash; B-William Humphries & Altair Farms LLC (KY); T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $32,000 RNA wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-1, $531,300. Last Start: 1st GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 50.

She returned to the work tab last week when breezing four furlongs in :49.00 at the Fair Grounds, where she is under the care of trainer Brad Cox. It was her first work since a surprise win in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton. It looked like her career was going to be on the grass, but Cox took a shot in the Rachel Alexandra and it paid off. She has turned out to be quite a bargain. She RNA'd for $32,000 at Keeneland November before selling for $50,000 at Keeneland September. Cox is searching for his third Oaks win since he took the race for the first time in 2018 with Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). We'll know more about this filly when she makes her next start, which Cox said will either be in the Ashland or the Fair Grounds Oaks.

8) SHAHAMA (Munnings–Private Feeling, by Belong to Me) 'TDN Rising Star' O-KHK Racing; B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $425,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE, $223,670. Last Start: 1st G3 UAE Oaks. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 50.

How do the races in Dubai stack up against the major preps in the U.S. for the Kentucky Oaks? We are about to find out. A $425,000 purchase at OBS April, this filly looked unbeatable while running for KHK Racing and trainer Fawzi Nass in Dubai. After she overcame a slow start to take the GIII UAE Oaks her connections decided to send her to Todd Pletcher, with an eye on running in the Kentucky Oaks.

“We're excited about getting her in,” Pletcher said. “I believe the plan will be to come to Florida and prepare for the Oaks. I think we would just train up to the Oaks, but we need to see how she is and how quickly she acclimates before making any firm decisions.”

The original plan was to face males in the GII UAE Derby. In the Pletcher barn, she couldn't be in better hands. It will be interesting to see how she stacks up against the U.S.-based fillies.

9) CLASSY EDITION (Classic Empire–Newbie, by Bernardini) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Robert E & Lawana L Low; B-Chester & Mary R. Broman (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $550,000 2yo '21 FTMMAY. Lifetime Record: MSW & GSP, 4-3-1-0, $223,450. Last Start: 2nd GII Davona Dale S. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 20.

Bought for $550,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale, this 'TDN Rising Star' makes it on to the list after finishing second behind Kathleen O. in the one-mile Davona Dale. Though she was soundly beaten, the New York-bred proved she belongs in open, graded company after going 3-for-3 last year versus state breds. It was also her first start beyond seven furlongs. “I've always felt that ultimately she's a filly that wanted two turns, so hopefully this brings her in that direction,” Pletcher said prior to the Davona Dale.

It looks like she'll have to improve a few lengths to be able to beat the very best of her division, but there's no reason why that can't happen.

10) NOSTALGIC (Medaglia d'Oro–Been Here Before, by Tapit) O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Bill Mott. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, $97,900. Last Start: 1st Gulfstream Allowance/Optional Claimer. Next Start: GIII Gazelle S., AQU, Apr. 9. KY Oaks Points: 1.

After she began her 3-year-old campaign with a ninth-place showing in the Sweetest Chant S. on the grass, it didn't look at all like this filly was a candidate for the Kentucky Oaks. But that all changed with a Mar. 3 allowance race at Gulfstream. Trainer Bill Mott put her back on the dirt and was rewarded with an impressive 6 3/4-length win in the 8 1/2-furlong contest. It was her second win from four career starts and her first since she broke her maiden on debut in October at Belmont. Just an allowance winner this year, she has some catching up to do, but she's well-bred and in the barn of a Hall of Famer. Don't count her out.

Nostalgic | Ryan Thompson

The post TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Mar. 10 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

This Side Up: An Oath to Share the Secret of Eternal Youth

It stands to reason, I guess, that the fountain of youth–the quest for which supposedly brought the first conquistadores to the shores of Florida–should instead turn out to be in Hot Springs. Certainly it seems as though there must indeed be something in those celebrated Arkansas waters, judging from the eternal vigor of an 86-year-old trainer based at Oaklawn this winter.

For a moment last Saturday, D. Wayne Lukas was going to sweep both Classic trials, Ethereal Road (Quality Road) just losing focus in the final strides of the GII Rebel S. after barnmate Secret Oath (Arrogate) had settled the GIII Honeybee S. with that exhilarating dart round the final corner. And if those of us marvelling from afar wished that we, too, might sample the rejuvenating properties of the thermal springs, then the good news is that we don't have to fly all the way there and book into Bathhouse Row.

Because it now falls within the compass of a single, extraordinary man to share among his whole community the dynamism he already appears to have imparted to Secret Oath. And he won't need a bottling plant. In the spine-tingling moment when his filly broke free of her inferiors last weekend, announcing herself at this point the most flamboyant talent of the crop, a sudden sunbeam broke across our benighted industry. Have we, in our hour of need, out of nowhere found a path to redemption?

Obviously, Lukas is too seasoned to be committing prematurely to the Derby. But don't tell me that one of the towering figures of the American Turf, seeing this filly maintain her current giddy trajectory, will turn his back on a challenge that so neatly dovetails the gilding of his own legacy with the overall interests of the sport.

It was a filly, of course, who in 1988 gave Lukas his first Derby. His three subsequent winners were all clustered in a five-year streak from 1995, interrupted only by the first pair saddled by another colorful arrival from the Quarter Horse world. That gentleman has long supplanted Lukas as the go-to trainer for the superpower investors, the transfer of the baton being aptly condensed (not least in their names) by two horses owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis: Silver Charm (Silver Buck), the first Derby winner saddled by Bob Baffert; and Charismatic (Summer Squall), the last saddled by Lukas.

Secret Oath's Honeybee romp | Coady

Or maybe not the last. But you know what, it scarcely matters whether or not Secret Oath can actually beat the boys in the Derby. Even to try would itself represent a huge win for a sport otherwise staring down the barrel of yet another public relations calamity, thanks to the very man whose silver charms have so faded over the past year.

We're not going to reprise the stagnant topic of whether Baffert's sense of personal injustice–whatever its merits–warrants the asphyxiation of his sport at the one time it receives the oxygen of publicity, in the first days of May. Because all of a sudden, over the horizon here comes a venerable knight riding to the rescue on his gray charger. All of sudden, All of sudden, the casting of Baffert as the specter at the Derby feast could become a relative sideshow.

As an outstanding visionary among modern American horsemen, with a born educator's sensitivity to the broader human fulfilments available in our trivial obsession, Lukas will surely be governed by the bigger picture in what may well prove the final benediction of a game-changing career.

At this stage of his life, would the old teacher and coach decline this priceless, paternal service to a beleaguered industry simply because Secret Oath would start at shorter odds in the GI Kentucky Oaks? At the very least, he can leave both options open by giving her a chance to earn the requisite gate points in the GI Arkansas Derby. And if she were to tackle that assignment in a fashion that extends the current dilemma, then it won't be a dilemma at all.

I mean, this is the man who even since last weekend has made us all feel humbled–if not downright ashamed, in some cases–by our failure to keep up with the indefatigable standards he still maintains in terms of evangelizing our way of life. Hardly anyone who heard or read his words (editor's note: Lukas Challenges Everyone “To Make a Difference” Every Day is located at the bottom of the story) to a Hot Springs conference can have remotely approached his eligibility to put his feet up, after so many decades of endeavor and achievement, and leave the future viability of the game in younger hands. Well, we may have younger hands. But we have none more vital and inspiring.

Just imagine having this guy front and center in Derby week! Not just intriguing, and winning over, the world outside; but energizing our base, challenging us all to be more deserving of the noble animal that ostensibly unites us all.

True, before coming up with the third filly to win the Derby, Lukas had also ended the fairytale of the second, Genuine Risk (Exclusive Native), with Codex (Arts and Letters) making a highly masculine swing to the fences on the final turn in the Preakness. Overall, however, the evidence suggests that Lukas trusts a filly to look after herself. Think Serena's Song (Rahy) in the GI Haskell; think Lady's Secret (Secretariat) in the GI Whitney; above all think Althea (Alydar) setting a track record that not even Secret Oath could hope to get near in the Arkansas Derby.

Okay, so Althea's performance at Churchill reminds us not to get too far ahead of ourselves. But in these dark days, when our parochial problems so plainly don't amount to the proverbial “hill of beans”, we must cling with all possible faith to such hope as we can find.

John Shirreffs | Horsephotos

Because every now then, we are blessed by the confluence of a great man and a great opportunity. Cometh the hour, and all that. It happened before, when Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) won us so many new friends largely because she happened to find her way into the care of a man not only touched by the genius necessary for her fulfilment, but every bit as uncommon in the more fundamental human register of integrity and intelligence.

That's why this feels like a week of rare promise for our embattled sport: because it has also been the week in which John Shirreffs finally secured an overdue nomination to the Hall of Fame. If it could end with the redress of another unconscionably prolonged anomaly, and a first success for Shirreffs in the GI Santa Anita H., then I really will begin to think that somebody up there might be looking out for our sport, after all.

We all know that this is no longer the race it was, thanks to the booty nowadays seducing horses to faraway deserts. But we also know we can rely on the trainer of Express Train (Union Rags) to cherish the undiminished luster of its heritage. For here is a man who truly understands and respects that everything we are privileged to do with horses, today, is built on foundations laid by so many generations who preceded us.

And who knows? So long as we have exemplars like Shirreffs and Lukas to illuminate the way–men burning with a passionate, perennial sense of our responsibilities to the Thoroughbred–perhaps we might yet find the magic springs to renew and revive our weary, limping old sport.

The post This Side Up: An Oath to Share the Secret of Eternal Youth appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Mar. 3

What to do with the Bob Baffert-trained horses? Up until now, we have been including them in the TDN Kentucky Oaks rankings, believing that they'd find a way into the race. Either their owners would move them to another trainer or Baffert would find a way through the courts that would allow them to enter. But when the story broke last week that Baffert had not nominated a single horse to the GI Kentucky Oaks we decided to drop them from the rankings and won't include them again until there is more concrete news on their status for the Oaks.

The big story last week was, of course, the win by Secret Oath in the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn. It will be a busy weekend for the 3-year-old fillies as Gulfstream offers the GII Davona Dale S. on Saturday and Santa Anita's Sunday card includes the GIII Santa Ysabel S. The weekend's racing action also features the Busher Invitational S. at Aqueduct.

Here's a look at the top 3-year-old fillies who are aiming for the May 6 Oaks:

You can question who she beat, but not the way she did it. The Wayne Lukas/Secret Oath story rolls on. Winning her second consecutive stakes and her first graded stakes, she beat up on her competition in the Honeybee, moving her 86-year-old trainer one step closer to a possible win in the Kentucky Oaks. After showing little in her first three starts, she's turned into a monster at Oaklawn, taking her three starts there by a combined 23 lengths.

In the Honeybee, which she won by 7 1/2 lengths, she covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.74. Later on in the card, the GII Rebel S. for 3-year-old males went in 1:45.69. Lukas won the GI Arkansas Derby in 1984 with the filly Althea but, so far, is saying that it's likely Secret Oath will stay with the fillies. That decision was made easier when the Lukas-trained Ethereal Road (Quality Road) emerged as a Derby contender with a second-place finish in the Rebel.

Thirty-two years after he last won the Oaks, with Seaside Attraction in 1990, Lukas could return to the winner's circle in what would be among the more remarkable stories in the sport in some time. Or might he be tempted to point her for the Kentucky Derby, a race he won with a filly in Winning Colors in 1988? It should be interesting.

Secret Oath is also carrying the banner for her sire, Arrogate, who died in 2020 and will have a limited amount of offspring make it to the races. Secret Oath is his first graded stakes winner in North America.

2) NEST (Curlin–Marion Ravenwood, by A.P. Indy) O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Michael House; B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $350,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-3-0-1, $265,000. Last Start: 1st Suncoast S. Next Start: GI Central Bank Ashland S., KEE, Apr. 8. KY Oaks Points: 20.

Speaking of Lukas, his protégé Todd Pletcher could stand in the way of his winning the Kentucky Oaks. Pletcher has a number of potential Oaks candidates, but the best of the bunch is Nest.

Like Secret Oath, Nest didn't beat much in her last start, the Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs, but she did it with authority, romping by six lengths. Coming off a layoff after winning the Dec. 4 GII Demoiselle S. at Aqueduct, Nest got exactly the type of prep that should move her forward on the road to the GI Ashland S. and the Kentucky Oaks. Pletcher will be after his fifth Oaks victory, which would tie him with Woody Stephens for most wins in the race by a trainer. Nest is a full sister to 2021 GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol (Curlin), who is working toward his 2022 debut at San Luis Rey Downs.

3) KATHLEEN O. (Upstart–Quaver, by Blame) O-Winngate Stables, LLC; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. & Bridlewood Farm (KY); T-Shug McGaughey. Sales History: $8,000 wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 ylg '20 OBSOCT; $275,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: SW, 2-2-0-0, $104,760. Last Start: 1st Cash Run S. Next Start: GII Davona Dale. S, GP, Mar. 5. KY Oaks Points: 0.

She has won only a maiden race and a non-graded stakes, so Kathleen O. has plenty to prove. And she'll get the chance Saturday in the GII Davona Dale S. She's 9-2 on the morning line, which is probably a reflection of her speed figures more so than how impressive she's been visually. With a best Beyer number of 78, she's not that fast. But her last race, a win in the Cash Run S., is better than it looks on paper. She hesitated at the start and then had some traffic problems, but still won by 8 1/2 lengths. Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey always takes his time with young horses, so this one should only get better. The Davona Dale will certainly be a major test for this filly.

She's getting there. Last year's 2-year-old filly champ had her fourth workout this year when breezing five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Monday at the Fair Grounds for trainer Steve Asmussen. “Looks good,” Asmussen wrote in a text. The Hall of Fame trainer has yet to announce where Echo Zulu will run next, but the GII Fair Grounds Oaks on March 26 seems like a logical spot. If that's the case, she will probably have only one prep for the Oaks. That may not be ideal, but Asmussen obviously knows what he's doing and his filly, after going undefeated at two, probably doesn't need to do a lot to get ready. Because she's been idle, she's flown under the radar this year, but let's not forget how dominant she was last season.

This is the wild card in the race toward the Kentucky Oaks. The daughter of Runhappy is as fast as they get. She broke her maiden by 11 3/4 lengths and then won the Astoria S. by 11 1/2 lengths. Coming off a layoff of eight-plus months, she made her 3-year-old debut against a tough group of opponents in the Feb. 19 Dixie Belle at Oaklawn, which she won by three lengths. The problem is she's never run beyond six furlongs. She's trained by Wesley Ward, who does his best work with sprinters, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when he said the Oaks is a possibility. Either the Ashland or the GIII Beaumont S. will be next. She's good enough to win a Grade I, but can she win a Grade I at nine furlongs?

6) GIRL WITH A DREAM (Practical Joke–Henley, by Corinthian) O-Jim Bakke & Gerald Isbister; B-Machmer Hall & D + J Racing Stable LLC; T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $115,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-4-1-0, $231,480. Last Start: 1st GIII Forward Gal S. Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Mar. 5. KY Oaks Points: 10.

This Saturday's Davona Dale should determine whether or not Girl With a Dream belongs in the Oaks. Trained by Brad Cox, she has won three straight, including the GIII Forward Gal S. in her most recent start. But like Happy Soul, she's been sprinting and has never gone beyond seven furlongs. It looks like Cox is using the one-mile Davona Dale as a test to see if she can handle longer races. She is the 3-1 morning line favorite, is the clear speed in the race and figures to open up to an easy lead with Luis Saez aboard.

Another Cox trainee, it's hard to know what to make of her. Going into the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton, she looked like she had the makings of a good grass horse. The winner of the Juvenile Fillies S. at Kentucky Downs and the third-place finisher in the GII Jessamine S., she made her dirt debut in the Rachel Alexandra and was dismissed at 17-1–huge odds for a Cox horse. With Florent Geroux aboard, she came through and won by a half-length and is obviously a contender for the Kentucky Oaks. But the Rachel Alexandra was a strange race. The 2-1 favorite, Hidden Connection (Connect), was a non-threatening fourth; and third choice La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro) was pulled up with a career-ending injury. We'll know more about this filly when she makes her next start, which Cox said will either be in the GI Ashland or the GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

8) MAGIC CIRCLE (Kantharos–Magic Humor, by Distorted Humor) O-J.W. Singer LLC; B-Manitou Farm, LLC (KY); T-Rudy Rodriguez. Sales History: $50,000 ylg '20 KEEJAN; $110,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: SW & GSP, 5-2-1-1, $194,000. Last Start: 1st Busanda S. Next Start: Busher Invitational S., AQU, Mar. 5. KY Oaks Points: 13.

Unraced since a Jan. 23 win in the Busanda S., Magic Circle will look to return to the winner's circle Saturday at Aqueduct in the Busher Invitational. Normally stakes races in the winter at Aqueduct don't come up that tough, but the Busher is not an easy spot. The field will include the Shug McGaughey-trained Radio Days (Gun Runner), who was second in the Forward Gal; and Ruthless S. winner Shotgun Hottie (Gun Runner). The winner of this race will be legit. For Magic Circle, after winning the Busher at nine furlongs, she will be turning back to a one-turn mile. Magic Circle is a steady, blue-collar type, and a good fit for the winter at the Big A. It remains to be seen if she can step up and win against tougher.

Ain't Easy | Benoit Photo

9) AIN'T EASY (Into Mischief–Ameristralia {Aus}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Old Bones Racing Stable LLC, Michael V. Lombardi & Joey Platts; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Phil D'Amato. Sales History: $400,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0. Last Start: 1st GII Chandelier S. Next Start: GIII Santa Ysabel, SA, Mar. 6. KY Oaks Points: 10.

Remember this one? After winning the GII Chandelier S. last fall at Santa Anita by 4 3/4 lengths, she was ready to take on all challengers in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile until it was discovered that she had a small chip in her left front ankle. She's been working her way back with a series of breezes at Santa Anita and is set to make her 3-year-old debut Sunday in the Santa Ysabel. Coming off a six-furlong gate work in 1:14,60, it looks like trainer Phil D'Amato has her ready to go. A $400,000 yearling buy by Into Mischief, she could be the real deal.

10) SHAHAMA (Munnings–Private Feeling, by Belong to Me) 'TDN Rising Star' O-KHK Racing; B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Fawzi Abdulla Nass/Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $425,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE, $223,670. Last Start: 1st G3 UAE Oaks. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 50.

The news broke Saturday that 'TDN Rising Star' Shahama (Munnings) was being transferred to the Todd Pletcher barn with an eye on making the Kentucky Oaks. A half-sister to two-time Eclipse Award winner Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike) and to MGSW Kensei (Mr. Greeley), she is 4-for-4 with her most recent win coming in the GIII UAE Oaks at Meydan on Feb. 18. She's never run anywhere but Dubai, so it's hard to tell how her form will transfer to U.S. racing, but she has been impressive in her wins. An interesting new face on the trail to the Kentucky Oaks.

The post TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Mar. 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post