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Fantasy Winner Pauline’s Pearl Has ‘Improved Every Time,’ On To Kentucky Oaks

Pauline's Pearl continued her ascent in the 3-year-old filly division with a victory in the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) Saturday at Oaklawn.

A homebred for Stonestreet Stables LLC (Barbara Banke) and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Pauline's Pearl earned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 89, a career best, for her one-length victory over Ava's Grace to secure a spot in the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) April 30 at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks is the nation's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.

The royally bred Pauline's Pearl, by Tapit out of Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick (a half-sister to 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming), was exiting a troubled second-place finish in her stakes debut, the $300,000 Honeybee (G3) March 6 at Oaklawn. Her Beyer figures, a numerical representation of performance, have improved throughout her five-race career, rising from 61 in her debut sprinting Dec. 19 at Fair Grounds, to 70, 74, 81 in the Honeybee and now 89. The last four starts for Pauline's Pearl have come at 1 1/16 miles.

“Just a tremendous pedigree,” Asmussen said. “Her mother, we had won a Grade 1 with, the Spinaway. Grade-1 winning mare for Stonestreet and the class shows.”

Pauline's Pearl ($3.80) represented Asmussen's record 94th career Oaklawn stakes victory and record fourth in the Fantasy. She was the 4-5 favorite after going off 18-1 in the Honeybee.

Pauline's Pearl was reunited with jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. for the Fantasy. Santana had ridden Pauline's Pearl in her career debut, but was aboard stablemate Willful Woman in the Honeybee (Will's Secret was a three-quarter length winner).

“She's a nice filly,” Santana said. “We've expected a lot from her since Day 1. I rode that filly short the first time at Fair Grounds and she ran good. We always expected to run her long. The last four races she's run long, she's improved every time.”

Pauline's Pearl collected 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points for her Fantasy victory and ranks No. 4 on the leaderboard with 120, according to Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters, with starting preference given to horses with the highest point totals earned in designated races like the Fantasy. Will's Secret is No. 8 with 80 points. She also won Oaklawn's $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 30.

Last year's Fantasy winner, Swiss Skydiver, finished second in the rescheduled Kentucky Oaks (COVID-19) en route to an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly. Fantasy third Shedaresthedevil won the Kentucky Oaks for co-owner Staton Flurry of Hot Springs.

Santana, Asmussen and Stonestreet teamed to win the 2016 Fantasy with Terra Promessa, who finished 10th in the Kentucky Oaks.

Asmussen won Oaklawn's $60,000 Prima Donna Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters in 2010 with Hot Dixie Chick.

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Cox Pleased With Essential Quality’s Blue Grass Performance: ‘I Liked That He Got A Test’

Trainer Brad Cox was a happy camper Sunday morning, pleased with all aspects of the gutty victory by Godolphin's undefeated champion Essential Quality in Saturday's $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

“He looks good this morning and I am happy with the way he came out of the race,” Cox said of Essential Quality, a son of Tapit who extended his unbeaten streak to five with his neck victory over Highly Motivated. “I liked that he got a test yesterday. It was not like he just galloped up to the leader and went on by.”

Cox said Essential Quality would go to Churchill Downs Monday morning after training hours to join his string there and continue preparations for the $3-million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 1.

Essential Quality might be joined soon at Churchill by the Into Mischief colt Highly Motivated, according to Whit Beckman, assistant to trainer Chad Brown.

“He is good this morning,” Beckman said of Highly Motivated. “He put in a valiant effort yesterday going two turns for the first time. He took all the heat and kept battling.

“I am not sure (how long he will stay here), but knowing Chad I would not be surprised to see him go to Churchill for a couple of works.”

John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer, who picked up 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with his third-place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass, might wait for the Preakness (G1) on May 15, trainer Michael McCarthy said via text.

The Kentucky Derby is limited to the top 20 point earners that pass the entry box and Rombauer has 34 points, which is good for 21st on the leaderboard with two more points races to go on Saturday: the Arkansas Derby (G1), which awards 170 points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the top four finishers, and Keeneland's Stonestreet Lexington (G3), which offers 34 points on a 20-8-4-2 scale.

Prior to the Toyota Blue Grass, Rombauer won the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields and earned an automatic berth into the Preakness.

BBN Racing's Hidden Stash picked up 10 Derby points for his fourth-place finish to boost his total to 32, good for 23^rd on the leaderboard.

“He is good this morning,” trainer Vicki Oliver said. “We will see what the owners want to do – either the Derby or, if he looks tired, wait for the Preakness or Belmont.”

The Kentucky Derby dream ended for Cypress Creek, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind with his fifth-place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass, a position that earned him no points toward the Run for the Roses. Keepmeinmind, runner-up to Essential Quality in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) and third to him in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance here last fall, has 18 points and stands 28th on the leaderboard.

“I don't know what to tell you (about the Toyota Blue Grass performance),” trainer Robertino Diodoro said before heading back to his main string at Oaklawn Park. “Obviously we don't have enough points and what's next, that's the million-dollar question.”

The day was not a total loss for Diodoro as Cypress Creek's Ava's Grace finished second in the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn and picked up 40 points toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and a likely spot in the 14-horse starting gate.

“We are pretty excited about her,” Diodoro said. “I don't know if she will come here first and then go to Louisville but either way we have to get her up here ASAP from Oaklawn.”

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‘Getting Extremely Good At The Perfect Time’: Pauline’s Pearl Takes Fantasy Stakes

Stonestreet Stables, LLC's Pauline's Pearl lived up to her 4-to-5 odds and secured herself a spot in the starting gate for the April 30 Kentucky Oaks (G1) with her one-length victory in Saturday's $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark.

Pauline's Pearl raced wide early in fourth place as Ava's Grace led the field of 3-year-old fillies through opening fractions of :23.11 and :46.86 for the first half mile. The heavy favorite moved within a head of the leader after three-quarters in 1:11.84 before shaking clear late to win the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:43.64 over a fast track. Coach, the 3-1 second choice, closed late to get up for third.

Take Charge Lorin, Sylvia Q and West Side Girl completed the order of finish. Sun Path was scratched.

“She's all class,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “Has a tremendous pedigree. She's gotten better every day. She's gotten faster with each race. She's getting extremely good at the perfect time.”

Pauline's Pearl earned 100 points with her victory in the Fantasy and is now ranked fourth on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with a total of 120 points. Ava's Grace, who had no previous points, earned 40 points for second. Coach earned 10 points for thirdand Take Charge Lorin earned 10 points for her fourth-place finish, but is not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks. The Oaks is limited to 14 starters.

Updated Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks leaderboards

Pauline's Pearl, a homebred by Tapit out of Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick, also trained by Asmussen, improved her record to 2-1-1 in five career starts and has now earned $461,500. She returned $3.60, $2.80 and $2.10.

There will be no live racing Sunday in observance of the Easter holiday. Live racing will resume Thursday, April 8 for the start a four-day race week highlighted by the $1 million Arkansas Derby and three other stakes on Saturday, April 10.

Post-race quotes

Winning trainer Steve Asmussen, Pauline's Pearl: “With who she is and the confidence that race (Honeybee) gave us, I think Ricardo (Santana) used more of her today, put her in a better position. He said how confident he was around there. He used a little of her away from there, just to not hand it to them. Said down the backside she was traveling extremely comfortably and obviously we're very pleased with the results.”

“She's all class. Has a tremendous pedigree. She's gotten better every day. She's gotten faster with each race. She's getting extremely good at the perfect time.”

Winning jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., Pauline's Pearl: “We had a good trip. Everything worked out. She broke to run, settled down pretty well and I thank God for the victory today. I think she has a great future.”

Jockey Ramon Vazquez, second on Ava's Grace: “She ran a great race. She had never run that long before. She tried hard. She got a little bit tired. She's a nice filly. The trainer (Robertino Diodoro) told me to send her, maybe get one or two lengths in front. That was the plan.”

Jockey Martin Garcia, fifth with Sylvia Q: “I had a good trip. The two horses (Ava's Grace and Take Charge Lorin), they went fast and I was right behind. I had perfect position right on the rail. I know when I asked, the rail was open and she just didn't respond. It wasn't her day. But she's better than that. Today just wasn't her day.”

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Essential Quality Edges Highly Motivated In A Blue Grass Thriller

Champion Essential Quality had to dig deep to maintain his unblemished record, but the Godolphin homebred colt by Tapit did just that at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, wearing down the front-running Highly Motivated in the final yards to win the Grade 2, $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes by a neck as the 1-2 favorite.

Ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Brad Cox, Essential Quality ran the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.50 and paid $3 to his backers for his fifth career victory in as many starts.

Highly Motivated, an Into Mischief colt trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Javier Castellano, fell just short on a track where he scored his only previous stakes victory in the Nyquist Stakes on the Breeders' Cup undercard last Nov. 6, the same day Essential Quality locked up his Eclipse Awrad as champion 2-year-old male with a victory in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Highly Motivated was sent off as the 7-2 second choice in the betting.

It was 5 1/2 lengths back to the third-place finisher, Rombauer, a California invader from Michael McCarthy's barn who was 24-1. Hidden Stash, the G2 Tampa Bay Derby runner-up, finished fourth at 18-1. He was followed across the finish by Keepmeinmind, third behind Essential Quality in the Breeders' Cup. Sittin On Go, Hush of a Stormn, Unbreated and Leblon completed the order of finish in the field of nine.

The top four finishers in the Blue Grass received 100-40-20-10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, to be run on May 1 at Churchill Downs. No horse has exited the Blue Grass to win the Kentucky Derby since Blue Grass runner-up Street Sense won the roses in 2007. The last Blue Grass winner to win the Kentucky Derby was Strike the Gold in 1991. Essential Quality's connections obviously hope that streak will end in four weeks' time.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

The Blue Grass set up as a virtual match race between the the two favorites, who had each run once this year: Essential Quality won the G3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 27 and Highly Motivated finished a troubled third in the G3 Gotham around one turn at Aqueduct on March 6.

Highly Motivated secured the early lead and Essential Quality raced just to his outside throughout. Highly Motivated carved out fractions of :23.83, :48.21 and 1:12.08 for the first six furlongs, when Saez turned up the heat and moved Essential Quality closer to the lead. The top pair was well clear of Rombauer when they straightened away into the stretch.

Highly Motivated wasn't finished, however, clinging to a half-length advantage at the furlong pole after a mile in 1:35.97. But Saez kept asking Essential Quality for more, and the gray colt kept to his task, putting his nose in front in the final sixteenth.

Post-race quotes:

Brad Cox (winning trainer of Essential Quality)

“It's a tremendous feeling. He had to dig in today. It was probably what he needed. It was good for him to get a good test today He did everything easy enough in his last race. I was proud of what he was able to overcome today. Big effort.”

“I was happy where we were (turning for home). I could tell (with) the horse on the inside (Highly Motivated), Javier (Castellano) had horse, and we really had to work to get by him. The horse on the inside (Highly Motivated) ran a huge race. Both of them really duked it out the whole way. It set up for both of them, and they both responded well. That was a good race four weeks out (before the Kentucky Derby-G1). Four weeks from today. Hopefully we're ready.”

Luis Saez (winning rider)

“That other horse was fighting, and I thought we weren't going to get him. But I always had faith in Essential Quality. He's a nice horse No matter how fast or slow the pace, he always wants to be first at the wire.”

Javier Castellano (rider of runner-up Highly Motivated)

“He ran a huge race. I'm very satisfied the way he did it today. I got beat, finished second, but I'm so proud of my horse and the way he did it today. Easy fractions on the lead, he galloped along – that's the first time he did two turns. We tested him a little bit to see how far he could go and he did it. He tried with one of the best horses in the country and I give all the credit to the winner. But I would never complain with my horse and the way he did it.”

Whit Beckman (assistant to Chad Brown, trainer of Highly Motivated)

“That was just a tremendous run he put in. He ran so well and you could tell he just did not want to get beat. When one is trying that hard and you could feel the disappointment. I wasn't confident being on the front end in a big race like this. But Javier got there and my confidence was with Javi and his decisions.”

Florent Geroux (rider of third-place finisher Rombauer)

“I am very happy with his effort today. The two horses in front of him are very nice and we ran a very good effort.”

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