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At 86, Lukas Eyes Kentucky Oaks Win With Secret Oath

Wayne Lukas has won the GI Kentucky Oaks four times, but should there be a fifth this year it would no doubt be among the most special accomplishments of this Hall of Famer's career.

He's no longer able to attack the race with an arsenal of well-bred, expensive and talented horses sent his way by some of the sport's biggest owners. Those days are long gone. Instead, the 86-year-old trainer will have to overcome the odds and an inherent bias in the sport against older trainers and try to win the Oaks with the best filly he has trained in some time, Secret Oath (Arrogate). Lukas is hoping she takes another step toward the Oaks with a win in Saturday's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn Park, where she will likely be a solid favorite.

“I have been there already and have had that experience, but at 86 it's quite a nice feeling to know that there is maybe one more in the history books out there for me,” Lukas said.

It's not just Lukas. The sport has a way of turning its back on older trainers, no matter how successful they may have been at one point. Lukas has averaged 17 winners a year since 2018 and, prior to Secret Oath's win in the Martha Washington, his last stakes win came in the Apr. 4, 2017 GIII Commonwealth S. at Keeneland with Warrior's Club (Warrior's Reward).

“I don't want to be shuffled to the back burner,” he said. “I don't want the young guys who weren't around when we were having so much success… I don't want them to look over and say, 'That old man over there, he used to win races.'”

The dominant trainer in the sport in the eighties and for much of the nineties, Lukas was forced to reinvent himself about 20 years ago. Once having a 100-plus horses with barns spread out across the country, he's down to one division, which divides the year between Oaklawn and Churchill Downs. Lukas has 25 horses and no longer has the luxury of working for deep-pocketed owners who supply their trainers with an assembly line of talent. Typical of the type of owners Lukas has, Secret Oath, a homebred, is owned by Robert and Stacy Mitchell, and she is their only horse in training.

“We didn't start out with six fillies like this one,” Lukas said. “We started out with one. We're probably beating the odds that an old man like me with a one-horse stable could take this to the next level.”

Yet, Lukas has never shown any signs of bitterness nor has he allowed himself to feel sorry for himself. Rather, he's gone about his business the same as he always has since getting started with Thoroughbreds in 1977. That means showing up the barn early every morning and putting in a full day of work while trying to get the best out of every horse in his stable. He may have slowed down some, but just some. For someone his age, his energy level is remarkable.

“I love the competition,” he said. “I've always wanted to win the big ones. My energy level comes from a passion for the game. I'm getting a lot more speaking engagements where people want me to answer that question, what keeps me going? I don't think about it. It just comes natural. It's something I've been doing my entire life and as long as my health is good, which it is, why stop?”

His daily routine includes getting on a pony and supervising morning training from that vantage point. He's not about to stop doing that, but he admits it's no longer as easy as it used to be.

“I have a little more trouble getting on the pony and a little more trouble getting off him.” | Coady photo

“I have a little more trouble getting on the pony and a little more trouble getting off him,” Lukas said. “I don't just bounce off him. I call one of the assistants over and say that I'm getting off, catch me if I fall.”

He says that he is enjoying training a small stable, which has its advantages.

“I like the fact I can go out there and get on my horse every morning,” Lukas said. “I get on my saddle pony and I am able to deal one-on-one with every horse in the barn. Even if it were offered to me, I wouldn't want a stable in New York, one in California and one here. Those days beat me up. It doesn't have any appeal anymore.”

Secret Oath took a while to figure things out. She won one of her first three starts while posting modest Beyer figures and was drubbed when trying stakes company in the GII Golden Rod S. last fall at Churchill Downs, where she was fifth, beaten 11 1/4 lengths.

Everything changed in a Dec. 31 allowance at Oaklawn. Out of nowhere, she won by 8 1/4 lengths while earning a 93 Beyer figure. Lukas brought her back in the Jan. 29 Martha Washington S. and she turned in another huge effort, winning by 7 1/4 lengths.

“We thought from the very beginning that she would win races,” Lukas said. “You never know how far they are going to go. She gets over the ground so beautifully. She tipped her hand. We ran her in that allowance race with some good horses to see where we were at and that race was beautiful. You couldn't have scripted it any better than that. When she came back in the Martha Washington, we were looking for that same type of performance and actually we got a full duplication of that race. We are high on her and we're getting optimistic. We will go into the Honeybee full of hope. When she accelerates she does so so quickly she just breaks their heart.”

Lukas will also be represented in the $1-million GII Rebel S. Saturday at Oaklawn with Ethereal Road (Quality Road). He's coming off a maiden win where he broke slowly, was last of 12 and then closed with a rush to draw off to a four-length win. He'll be a longshot in the Rebel, but Lukas said he is high on his chances.

“Our little barn has some balance to it,” he said. “We might have a Kentucky Derby prospect, too.”

Thirty-two years after he last won a Kentucky Oaks in 1990 with Seaside Attraction, Lukas seems comfortable in his role as the sport's elder statesman. He said he finds it gratifying when younger trainers come to him seeking his advice, which he is happy to give.

“At this stage of my career, I think I owe it to the industry to do the best job that I can,” he said.

Should Secret Oath get to the Oaks, Lukas will be the story, the octogenarian trainer seeking one more coveted win. His glory days are well behind him, but it's not like he has forgotten how to train a good horse. He's been doing his very best to show that 86 is just a number. So is five, the record for most wins in the Kentucky Oaks, which is held by Woody Stephens. Lukas needs just one more win to tie him. Can he do it? Why not?

The post At 86, Lukas Eyes Kentucky Oaks Win With Secret Oath appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Feb. 24

The GII Rachel Alexandra S., the first prep on the year for the GI Kentucky Oaks in which 50 points are awarded to the winner, topped last weekend's action and produced a surprising result. Turnerlooose (Nyquist), a 17-1 shot conditioned by Brad Cox, and the Todd Pletcher-trained Goddess of Fire (Mineshaft), who was 15-1, finished one two. A Cox-Pletcher exacta somehow paid $437.40. Both fillies enter our Top 10. La Crete, who was eighth in our standings, suffered a condylar fracture and has been retired.

Last week's action also included a win by 'TDN Rising Star' Shahama (Munnings) in the GIII UAE Oaks at Meydan. She earned 50 Oaks points for the victory, but there's been no word yet from the connections regarding a possible Oaks start.

Juju's Map (Liam's Map), the runner-up in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, has yet to have a work this year and has dropped out of our rankings. Gerrymander (Into Mischief) has also been dropped. She has yet to make a start this year and we'll gladly include her again when she makes it to the starting gate.

We'll learn more about the fillies taking the Arkansas route to the Oaks as Oaklawn will present the GIII Honeybee S. on Saturday.

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

1) ADARE MANOR (Uncle Mo–Brooklynsway, by Giant's Causeway) O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC & Gary Broad (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $180,000 ylg '20 FTKFEB; $190,000 RNA ylg '20 FTKSEL; $375,000 2yo '21 OBSOPN. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-2-1-0, $56,600. Last Start: 1st GIII Las Virgenes S. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: N/A.

What's not to like? Adare Manor has run back-to-back 94 Beyers, and the 94 is the top number this year among all 3-year-old fillies. No one is faster. And it may be that no one is better. By super sire Uncle Mo, she absolutely dominated in the Feb. 6 GIII Las Virgenes S., winning by 13 lengths. She had her first post-Las Virgenes work on Feb. 20, going three furlongs in :36.60. The elephant in the room remains Baffert. As things now stand, he is under suspension and cannot compete in the Oaks or any race at Churchill. And his colts and fillies do not accrue ant points in Derby or Oaks preps. Owner Michael Lund Petersen has remained loyal to Baffert, but what will he do if the situation means this very fast filly cannot run in the Oaks as long as Baffert is the trainer?

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.

Nest made the biggest move of any up this chart, going from ninth to second. She did so with a win in the Feb. 12 Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs. At 3-10, she was the overwhelming favorite and didn't face much in the way of competition. That said, she couldn't have been more impressive. With Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, Nest swept past the leaders on the far turn and then drew off with ease to win by six lengths.

“We're all very pleased with her performance,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “She did it professionally and seemed to finish with good energy. We're very excited. She should improve with time and distance.”

Pletcher has a chance to pull off a rare double in the Kentucky Oaks. After Malathaat (Curlin) won last year, he'll be trying for not just his second straight Oaks win, but his second straight with a daughter of Curlin. Nest cost $350,000 at Keeneland September and is owned by the partnership of Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House. Repole doesn't buy many fillies at the sales, but has come across a good one in Nest.

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.

Amazing to think that this filly originally sold for just $8,000. That's what they got for her at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. She sold next at OBS October for $50,000 before Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey bought her for $275,000 at OBS April for owner Pat Kearney.

She goes next in the GII Davona Dale S. Mar. 3 at Gulfstream. It could be a make-or-break race for her. Going into that race, her critics will point out that her races have been slow, a 67 Beyer in her debut followed by a 78 when winning the Cash Run S. at Gulfstream. Her fans will see a horse who has a ton of talent and upside. Unraced since Jan. 1, Kathleen O. has continued with a series of slow half-mile breezes at Payson Park. McGaughey has won the Oaks once, with Dispute in 1993.

4) SECRET OATH (Arrogate–Absinthe Minded, by Quiet American) O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. Lifetime Record: SW, 5-3-0-1, $285,167. Last Start: 1st Martha Washington S. Next Start: GIII Honeybee S., OP, Feb. 26. KY Oaks Points: 10.

Trained by 86-year-old Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, Secret Oath headlines Saturday's Honeybee S. at Oaklawn and has been made the 3-2 morning line favorite for the $300,000 race. A Kentucky-bred owned by Robert and Stacy Mitchell, who race under the name of Briland Farm, she doesn't have a lot to prove in the Honeybee. She meets just five others and, based off her recent form, shouldn't lose. She's flourished since getting to Oaklawn.

In her first three starts, she won just once and her top Beyer number was a 64. In Hot Springs, she's won her two starts by a combined 15 1/2 lengths with a 93 Beyer followed by an 88 in the Martha Washington S. It's hard to root against Lukas at a point in his career where not too many top owners seem willing to give one of the best trainers who ever lived a horse.

5) 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: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 30.

She had been first on this list since it began earlier in the year, but have to knock her down a few pegs because it looks like she might not be ready to make the Oaks. The 2021 champion juvenile filly has had just three works this year. The latest was a five-furlong breeze in 1:02.40 on Feb. 21 at the Fair Grounds.

When asked if he thought Echo Zulu would make the Oaks, trainer Steve Asmussen replied: “Today, she isn't ready for it, but it doesn't run today.”

At the very best, it looks like Asmussen can only get one prep into her before the Oaks, whereas most horses have at least two. If she makes it, Echo Zulu figures to be a major factor in the Oaks. With wins in the GI Spinaway S., the GI Frizette S. and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, she was easily the best 2-year-old filly in the sport last year.

6) EDA (Munnings–Show Me, by Lemon Drop Kid) O-Baoma Corporation; B-Nathan McCauley (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $240,000 ylg '20 KEESEP; $550,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: GISW, 6-4-1-0, $370,000. Last Start: 1st GI Starlet S. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: N/A.

Not sure where's she been or what she is up to. Was a late scratch from the Las Virgenes and did not enter the Honeybee. That may or may not mean her next start will be in the Mar. 6 GIII Santa Ysabel S. Trainer Bob Baffert hasn't announced any plans.

Since her last start, a win in the Dec. 4 GI Starlet S., Eda has been a regular on the work tab. It's hard to know what to make of her. She is a Grade I winner, but didn't beat the best of fields in the Starlet at Los Alamitos. In any other barn, she'd be a star. In Baffert's barm she's been overshadowed by Adare Manor. Like Adare Manor, her status for the Oaks is up in the air because of the Baffert ban at Churchill Downs.

7) 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: Under consideration for GI Central Bank Ashland S. KY Oaks Points: 0.

At this juncture in her career, she doesn't look like a good fit for the Oaks. With a bit more than two months remaining before the race, she's never gone beyond six furlongs. Yet, trainer Wesley Ward says she is under consideration for the Oaks and said Keeneland's GI Ashland S., a traditional prep for the Oaks, could be next for her.

While getting her to the Oaks may be too much to ask, there's no doubt that this filly by Runhappy has a ton of talent. At two, she broke her maiden by 11 3/4 lengths before winning the Astoria S. by 11 1/2 lengths. Off more than eight months, she beat up on a very good field last week to win the Dixie Belle S. at Oaklawn over six furlongs. This is a very fast horse. Her distance capabilities are the main question.

Happy Soul | Coady Photo

8) 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.

Flew under the radar in the Rachel Alexandra and not because she couldn't run. She was two-for-four as a 2-year-old and won the $500,000 Juvenile Fillies S. at Kentucky Downs. But, coming into the Rachel Alexandra, she had never run on the dirt. Trainer Brad Cox took a shot with her in the Rachel Alexandra and it paid off with her first win in a graded stakes. Considering that her Beyer, an 81, was easily the best of her career, it may be that Turnerloose prefers the dirt. Not sure she beat a stellar group in the Rachel Alexandra. Her next start will tell us more. Cox said she will go next in either the GII Fair Grounds Oaks or the Ashland.

9) 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 yrl '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 S., AQU, Mar. 5. KY Oaks Points: 13.

New York in the winter may not be the ideal time or place to prepare a horse for the Kentucky Oaks, but you sure can make a lot of money staying at Aqueduct. Magic Circle couldn't beat the heavyweights in the Frizette, the Tempted or the GII Demoiselle, but after everyone else shipped to Florida she made her move. She won the $100,000 Busanda S. on Jan. 23 and will go next in the Big A's Busher S. It's a $250,000 race and she figures to be a solid favorite. Magic Circle is by Kantharos, which would suggest distance could be a problem, and trainer Rudy Rodriguez has admitted he thinks a two-turn, nine-furlong race may not be ideal for his filly.

10) GODDESS OF FIRE (Mineshaft–Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder) O/B-Red Oak Stable (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Lifetime Record: MGSP, 5-1-2-1, $159,875. Last Start: 2nd GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 22.

Like Turnerloose, Goddess of Fire snuck up on everyone when running a big second in the Rachel Alexandra. She broke her maiden last year at first asking at Saratoga, but struggled in stakes company after that, finishing a distant third in the GIII Pocahontas S. and then fifth in the Tempted. She showed a bit more when second in the Gasparilla S. in her 3-year-old debut, but it wasn't enough to suggest she would be a major player in this division. Has she improved or was her showing in the Rachel Alexandra a matter of that being a weak race?

The post TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Feb. 24 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Mitchells ‘Happy To Take The Ride’ With Oaks Hopeful Secret Oath

On Jan. 29, Briland Farm's Robert and Stacy Mitchell came to the stark realization that their public profile in the Thoroughbred racing world was about to be raised in a big way.

Crossing the finish line first by 7 1/4 lengths that day in Oaklawn's Martha Washington Stakes was their homebred filly, Secret Oath. As part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks points series of races, the victory awarded the filly 10 qualifying points toward the classic race, and stamped the sophomore as one to watch ahead of the Run for the Lillies.

“It's a little bit overwhelming and I don't want to get ahead of myself,” said Stacy Mitchell. “We're just going to have fun each day.”

The journey of Briland Farm actually began more than two decades before. As a young couple with a growing family and with the Millennium approaching, the Mitchells were struck by the impulse that so many before them have felt: it was time to escape the city.

“We didn't just want to buy a house in a subdivision,” said Rob Mitchell, who, like his wife Stacy, is a Kentucky native. “I wanted land. My grandparents had land and so we found a farm with an old wooden farm house in Fayette County. We wanted to get outside of downtown so we went for it and we ended up getting a 90-acre farm.”

With their new farm in Lexington, Ky., in hand, the Mitchells were gifted an older Quarter Horse by a friend. It was their realtor who pointed out that as social herd creatures, the horse would likely do better with a companion in the field.

“When our friend told us to get a companion horse, he basically said to get a broodmare and if we get a broodmare, find one in foal,” said Stacy. “Our kids were young at the time and he said, 'Your kids would love growing up seeing horses being born.'”

“So we found someone who wanted to sell a young mare with a pretty good pedigree that had never raced,” said Rob. “They wanted to just give her to us but I said, 'Let's buy her for $1.00 and make it official.'”

Named Chao Praya, the mare was a daughter of Gold Legend out of the Pancho Villa mare Casting a Spell. While she was not in foal at the time of sale, the Mitchells decided to breed to the mare to Level Sands, a son of Storm Cat, for $1,500.

“That foal, Level Playingfield, became a graded stakes winner, multiple stakes winner, and a track record-setter. Then we bred the mare back to Empire Maker just as he was starting his stallion career and we got another grade 3 winner (Imposing Grace).”

Suffice it to say, the Mitchells had been bitten by the breeding bug. In order to add to their numbers, the couple went shopping at the now defunct Fasig-Tipton Adena Springs Broodmare Sales. There they purchased a Great Above mare named Rockford Peach, who was in foal to Running Stag, for $36,000.

Rockford Peach would go on to produce the Quiet American mare Absinthe Minded, a multiple stakes winner who earned over $600,000 on the track. Now a broodmare in the Briland Band, Absinthe Minded has continued to reward the Mitchells as the dam of Secret Oath.

With success coming early on the track and in the breeding shed for the Mitchells, it would have been natural for them to return to public auction. But as it would happen, Rockford Peach would be the last Thoroughbred ever purchased in the name of Briland Farm.

“The bottom line is we've never bought a race horse,” said Rob. “Every horse we've ever raced was born on our farm. We haven't bought any Thoroughbred for over 20 years. We have a few families, we have three or four foals a year, and we race our foals. We sell about 75 percent and keep about 25 percent and we've just been very blessed and lucky.

“I think it's a good thing that there are partnerships and syndicates that buy horses off the track after they win a few races and they keep those horses in training and go on racing to more success. That's great for the business, but we have never bought a race horse. They're all born here on the farm.”

From this small, insular operation, the Mitchells have been able to generate a strong strike rate on the track. Between 2002 and 2018, Briland Farm campaigned 44 homebred horses. Of those, 6.8 percent were graded stakes winners, 13.6 percent were graded stakes-placed, 25 percent were stakes placed, and 11.3 percent were stakes winners.

Self-taught when it comes to matings, the Mitchells—while they do sell a handful of foals—consciously stray from what's commercially popular.

“When we first got into it, we went to a few TOBA meetings but mostly it was reading and studying how to make it work,” said Rob. “But even then you don't know if your matings will be right.

“I try to never go for what is popular. That is the last thing in the back of my mind. I want to win the best horse that will win races because I own the broodmare. I want those horses to win to increase the value of the subsequent foals. It doesn't make sense for me to do what is popular because when you look back, you'll see stallions that start off super-hot and two years later you can't give those horses away. I want to breed the best horse I can with the stock I have.

“We've made bad decisions along the way, but we're getting better at it. In about 20 years maybe we will have it down. We don't really need to buy anymore because we have a few families that are genotypically different, but in some ways similar, so I think we're good at figuring them out and what they need.”

But while the Mitchell's strategy has proved more than reliable in getting horses to the winner's circle, it hasn't always translated to the sales ring where the pressure to tick all the boxes of buyers. Among those that didn't initially pass muster with buyers was Secret Oath, who failed to make an impression during her brief stint in the Bluewater Sales consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“I really liked Secret Oath when she was born,” said Rob. “We sent her to Keeneland, and I think they're pretty knowledgeable, but they put her in session 5. Her dam had won three stakes races and placed in five graded stakes, the filly was from Arrogate's first crop, but she was put in session 5. Not a lot of people looked at her so I took her out of the sale the day before she was supposed to go. I thought, 'If no one wants her, she looks just like her mom and sister so I will race her myself.'”

“She had that tall, narrow, Quiet American look like he had when he was young but that wasn't the look they wanted at that sale,” said Stacy. “They wanted to see big engines on the back and different body types. She wasn't what the commercial market wanted.”

With Secret Oath having taken her first steps toward the Kentucky Oaks, it's clear that the Mitchells have cracked the code to personal success. While she may have been overlooked at the sales, the filly's explosion onto the racing scene has garnered plenty of attention; the fear of missing out running strong with owners hoping to get in on the ground floor as the Classic season ramps up.

But just like they weren't selling in 2020, the Mitchells plan to hang on to their filly.

“We will try to hold (trainer) Wayne (Lukas) back,” joked Rob. “He's excited about her and people want to buy her. But we're going to take it one day at a time. Wayne calls about every few days saying, 'I have someone else who wants to buy her.' And I've said 'Wayne, if I was a wealthy man I would take the money, but I'm used to being poor so I don't need it'”.

“We got lucky with Secret Oath but you don't always get that lucky. We know we may never win another race. We've done this long enough to know that a horse can kick it's stall and chip an ankle or get a fever the night before the race. Nothing is ever sure.”

“We're just taking it one race at a time,” said Stacy. “I told someone that after all the work we've put in for 20 years I'm happy to take the ride with her as short as it may be. Anyone who has done this knows that the happier times are fewer than the hard times. You have to hold on to the good.”

Secret Oath breaks her maiden at Oaklawn on Dec. 31

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Arrogate’s Secret Oath Dominates Martha Washington

Secret Oath stamped herself as a major player on the GI Kentucky Oaks trail with her second straight eye-catching victory at Oaklawn Park.

Breaking her maiden Oct. 31 by over five lengths beneath the Twin Spires in her second career start, Secret Oath came up empty finishing a well-beaten fifth in the GII Golden Rod S. next out Nov. 27. After dominating her allowance rivals with a visually impressive score with first-time Lasix last out Dec. 31 at Oaklawn Park, she returned just as brilliantly here.

Coming off Lasix for this race, and sent off an overwhelming 1-2 favorite, she broke in line with the field before being forced into the first turn widest of all when rivals to her inside ended up in no rush to push for Optionality's lead. Tracking the uncontested leader from fourth up the backstretch through easy fractions, Secret Oath was keen to get rolling before the bunched field hit the midway point on the final turn. Without being asked, the flashy chestnut cruised by her rivals coming to the top of the lane and was three in front by the final sixteenth. Optionality could only watch from second as the D. Wayne Lukas trainee disappeared from her competition, winning by an easy 7 1/4 lengths and earning 10 Kentucky Oaks points. Secret Oath is the first stakes winner for her Hall of Fame trainer since Warrior's Club (Warrior's Reward) won the GIII Commonwealth S. in April 2018.

“I had a great trip,” jockey Luis Contreras said. “She's a really good filly. I just tried to keep her covered as much as I could. She was fighting with me. She wanted to go every single step of the race… When I put her outside, she just exploded.”

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas added, “It was a replay [of her last race] and that's what we were looking for. That consistency is now coming and we're getting that maturity, as far as a professional racehorse. She's been very manageable, but she was a little immature before. But I think it's coming together now and we've just got to keep her happy and fat and we'll go down the road.”

Secret Oath becomes the second stakes winner for the late Arrogate. Out of Oaklawn specialist and two-time Bayakoa S. victress Absinthe Minded, Secret Oath joins her dam as a stakes winner in Hot Springs. The mare also finished third and second, respectively starting in 2011, in successive years in the track's marquee race for the ladies, the GI Apple Blossom H. The third filly to find a winner's circle for the broodmare, and the first stakes horse, Secret Oath also has an unnamed 2-year-old half-sister by Medaglia d'Oro. The mare is expecting a foal by Liam's Map this season.

MARTHA WASHINGTON S., $200,000, Oaklawn, 1-29, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:46.21, ft.
1–SECRET OATH, 122, f, 3, 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
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert
& Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas; J-Luis Contreras.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-1, $285,167.
2–Optionality, 122, f, 3, Gun Runner–Simplify, by Pulpit.
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$40,000.
3–Como Square, 122, f, 3, Into Mischief–Pangburn, by
Congrats. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Shortleaf Stable, Inc.; T-Brad Cox. $20,000.
Margins: 7 1/4, 4 3/4, 2. Odds: 0.50, 3.50, 6.00.
Also Ran: Hypersport, Princess Pauline, Cupid's Music.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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