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It’s ‘Oath’ and Coach in the Oaks

The legend of trainer D. Wayne Lukas got just a little bit longer Friday afternoon.

Fully four decades after Stonereath Farms' Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom {Fr}) gave the Hall of Famer a maiden victory in the GI Kentucky Oaks–now sponsored by Longines–and 32 years after Seaside Attraction (Seattle Slew) provided William T. Young's Overbrook Farm with their lone success in the fillies' feature for Lukas's fourth and most recent winner, Briland Farm homebred Secret Oath (Arrogate) was back to her brilliant best beneath the Twin Spires, as she capitalized on a frenetic pace and outfinished GI Central Bank Ashland S. heroine Nest (Curlin) for a decisive tally. Arizona-bred longshot Desert Dawn (Cupid) was up for third over pace-pressing champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner).

“It feels great,” said Lukas, impeccably clad as is his big-race custom. “I've said all week, as trainers we think it's us. After you win one, the real satisfaction is for the [owners] who raised her and let them have the opportunity to enjoy this and get the thrill.”

Lukas joins the legendary Woody Stephens on five Oaks wins.

Secret Oath outran odds of 31-1 to be third on her one-mile debut over a rain-affected Churchill strip Oct. 3 and ghosted her rivals by 5 1/4 lengths when tried around two turns on Halloween before finishing a well-beaten fifth in the local GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 27.

Relocated to Oakawn Park for the winter, the track at which her dam Absinthe Minded (Quiet American) did the majority of her best work, the chestnut took things to a new level in a one-mile allowance on New Year's Eve, whooshing home and leaving Friday's GII Eight Belles S. victress Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) 8 1/4 lengths in her wake. The 7 1/4-length winner of the Jan. 29 Martha Washington S., Secret Oath followed up by a similar margin in the GIII Honeybee S., sewing up a spot in this event in the process. But instead of taking the path of least resistance against her peers in the GIII Fantasy S., connections rolled the dice against the boys in the GI Arkansas Derby, a race whose $1.25-million purse was better than double that of the Fantasy. But little went right, as she was bothered at the start, was consigned to a six-wide run around the turn and peaked on her run about a sixteenth from home to finish third behind Cyberknife (Gun Runner). Lukas vowed that, win or lose, it was onto the Oaks and Secret Oath took care of the rest on an intermittently rainy Friday afternoon.

A Superlative Steer from Saez…

Luis Contreras was Secret Oath's partner for her four-race campaign in Hot Springs, but he came under some fire for his Arkansas Derby ride and was ultimately replaced by Luis Saez, whose agent Kiaran McLaughlin served as an assistant to Lukas before going on to a successful training career of his own. The Panamanian, who celebrates his 30th birthday May 19, had a previous relationship with Lukas, having won the 2013 GI Travers S. and GI Clark H. with champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song).

The joint-third choice for the Oaks with the previously undefeated Kathleen O. (Upstart), Secret Oath was away without incident from stall one, but drifted back to midfield as a hot pace developed, as was widely expected. Echo Zulu was first to break the line, but she was soon supplanted on top by Fantasy heroine Yuugiri (Shackleford) who led the way through an opening quarter-mile in a demanding :22.45.

Eighth and ground saving as the Oaks field rounded the clubhouse turn, Saez pulled Secret Oath away from the inside and improved three wide and in the clear down the backstretch, now racing just in advance of Nest at the rail, with GII Rachel Alexandra S. upsetter Turnerloose (Nyquist) between those two.

Out of harm's way as they entered the turn, Secret Oath commenced an eye-catching move around Desert Dawn and Venti Valentine (Firing Line), catapulting herself from eighth to third in the space of a sixteenth of a mile, and was poised to strike outside of Echo Zulu nearing the stretch.

Saez cut the ribbons once heads were turned for home and Secret Oath drove past Echo Zulu entering the final furlong and a half. Nest, full of run but with nowhere to go on the swing into the stretch, was produced wide leaving the quarter pole, but Secret Oath had gotten the jump by then and was home for a comfortable victory. Desert Dawn kept on for third ahead of Echo Zulu, who was the only one of those involved in the pace to be anywhere close at the finish.

“I rode a lot of good fillies, but this one is pretty special,” Saez said. “It's an honor to be a part of Mr. Wayne [Lukas] because he's a legend. And we win a lot of big races for him, the Travers. And win the Oaks for him, it was like everything for us. So pretty grateful to be a part.

He continued, “She did it pretty easy. I remember at half a mile, I saw everybody in the lead pretty far. And [in] two jumps I was right there. She did it so easy.”

Lukas said all options are on the table for Secret Oath, including the GI Preakness S. in 15 days' time, or the sex-restricted GII Black-Eyed Susan S.

Briland Brilliance on Full Display…

Robert Mitchell and his wife Stacy purchased Secret Oath's then 10-year-old second dam Rockford Peach for $36,000 in foal to Running Stag at the Adena Springs sale at Fasig-Tipton in 2001, and clearly the best of the 11 foals she produced for Briland Farm was her fourth to hit the ground, Absinthe Minded.

Also trained by Lukas, the daughter of the good filly sire Quiet American won two renewals of the Bayakoa S. and the Pippin S. at Oaklawn and was placed twice in the GI Apple Blossom H. Outside of Arkansas, Absinthe Minded was narrowly runner-up in the 2011 GII Shuvee H. and third in that year's GII Molly Pitcher S. All totaled, the mare won six times from 35 starts and bankrolled over $607,000.

The fourth foal for her dam, Secret Oath was cataloged through Bluewater Sales as hip 1242 to the 2020 Keeneland September Sale, but a bit of fate intervened and she was withdrawn.

“She looks like her mother and her sister. She just kind of had that tall, thin, arrogant like,” Robert Mitchell said. “Tall, thin, narrow,” added Stacy.

Robert picked up from there: “That's not the classic commercial horse. And I thought, 'Well, if she looks like her mother, her mother placed in five graded stakes and won a number of graded stakes. Why don't we just pull her out and keep her?'”

Absinthe Minded is the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Medaglia d'Oro and missed when bred back to Arrogate for 2021. She was most recently covered by Unbridled's Song's Lane's End-based son Liam's Map.

 

 

 

Lukas Loving Every Minute of It…

Secret Oath's Oaks success came just a matter of hours after Lukas decided to remove Ethereal Road (Quality Road) from Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby.

“I thought he was a little bit flat,” he explained. “I didn't think that he was moving as well. And I knew that if I ran him in the Derby that I would eliminate the [GI] Preakness [S.] in all consideration. It would just be too many all right in a row.

“So I talked to the owner (Julie Gilbert/Aaron Sones). He was in Hawaii, couldn't be here anyhow. So he said do what you want to do, treat him like you own him. So we took him out. And we'll look at the Preakness in two weeks.”

The reverence and esteem in which Lukas–who still rides out in the mornings–is held was on clear display in the immediate aftermath of Friday's race. Lukas watched the race alongside his former assistant and fellow Oaks-winning trainer Dallas Stewart and 'the Coach' accepted congratulations from and exchanged hugs with former assistant Todd Pletcher in the tunnel.

“Those guys that were so influential in my career and carried me to where we are today, they put me on their shoulders and carried me,” Lukas reflected. “And I know it. I couldn't do it alone. I never could with all the horses we were training. So we're still very tight. It's a close-knit family.”

 

 

Friday, Churchill Downs
LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS-GI, $1,250,000, Churchill Downs, 5-6, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:49.44, wf.
1–SECRET OATH, 121, 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 GRADE I WIN. O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas; J-Luis Saez. $705,250. Lifetime Record: 8-5-0-2, $1,295,417. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Nest, 121, f, 3, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House; B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $227,500.
3–Desert Dawn, 121, f, 3, by Cupid
                1st Dam: Ashley's Glory, by Honour and Glory
                2nd Dam: Ashley Secret, by Dr. Carter
                3rd Dam: Whatever It Takes, by Hatchet Man
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($32,000 RNA Ylg '20 OBSOCT). O/B-H & E Ranch (AZ); T-Philip D'Amato. $113,750.
Margins: 2, HF, HF. Odds: 4.40, 2.40, 50.00.
Also Ran: Echo Zulu, Kathleen O., Shahama, Turnerloose, Cocktail Moments, Candy Raid, Nostalgic, Goddess of Fire, Hidden Connection, Yuugiri, Venti Valentine. Scratched: Beguine.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Matareya Makes It Three in a Row in Eight Belles

Godolphin's progressive Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) parlayed a perfect inside trip into a facile success in Friday's $500,000 GII Eight Belles S. at Churchill Downs, the third winner of the event in the last six years for trainer Brad Cox.

The homebred filly was away without incident and raced worse than centerfield through the opening exchanges, as Pretty Birdie (Bird Song) set what appeared to be a strong early tempo in advance of Marissa's Lady (Violence). Racing well off the rail down the chute, Matareya was deftly maneuvered by Flavien Prat to her inside, across the heels of Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) and Ain't Easy (Into Mischief) and was guided down onto the fence linking up with the track proper. Asked for a bit more acceleration approaching the half-mile marker, Matareya was all the way into third and onto the back of the pacesetter while in hand for the run around the turn. Patiently handled while scraping the paint nearing the quarter pole, Matareya pushed away from the rail and into the two path to deliver her challenge in upper stretch. Pretty Birdie did everything in her power to match strides, but Matareya overtook her for good entering the final eighth of a mile and inched clear. Wicked Halo rallied for third.

“She broke well but I just got outrun in the first part,” said Prat. “Then I took a chance going to the inside where there were good horses to follow. Then we had a fair pace, was traveling well and when I tipped her out, she was there for me. I thought it was a really good run for her.”

Cox indicated the winner would stretch out to Belmont's one-turn mile for the June 11 GI Acorn S., where she could face her Grade I-winning stablemate Juju's Map (Liam's Map), an allowance winner earlier Friday beneath the Twin Spires.

“The Acorn's going to be interesting five weeks from now. Both are good fillies,” the conditioner said. “This filly is probably going to do her best going around one turn. Juju's Map definitely can handle two turns. At some point, they're going to sort themselves out, and if they meet up in the Acorn, I don't know.”

A distant runner-up to Secret Oath (Arrogate) in a one-mile Oaklawn allowance Dec. 31, Matareya aired by 5 1/4 lengths when cut back to six furlongs at the Fair Grounds Feb. 26 and most recently pummeled her rivals in the GIII Beaumont S. over an extended seven furlongs at Keeneland Apr. 10.

Pedigree Notes:

Matareya's Grade III-winning dam is a daughter of Golden Velvet, who was stakes-placed in France for Andre Fabre before adding a pair of graded victories and a runner-up effort in the GI Ogden Phipps H. once repatriated for Kiaran McLaughlin.

Golden Velvet was a daughter of Harbor View Farm's outstanding turf distaffer Caress, who was purchased by John Ferguson for $3.1 million at the 2000 Keeneland November Sale a handful of months after the mare foaled a Pulpit colt. That offspring, Sky Mesa, was raced by John Oxley to a victories in the GI Hopeful S. and GII Lane's End Breeders' Futurity, but lost any shot at a championship when scratched on the eve of the 2002 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Caress is also the dam of MGSP Monthir (Gulch), a sire of some note in South America; and of Velvety (Bernardini), whose son Maxfield (Street Sense) closed out his career victoriously in the GI Clark H. and now stands at Darley at Jonabell.

Innovative Idea is the dam of the 2-year-old filly Methodology (Uncle Mo), a yearling colt by the same stallion and visited him once again last season.

Friday, Churchill Downs
EIGHT BELLES S. PRESENTED BY TWINSPIRES-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-6, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:21.86, ft.
1–MATAREYA, 120, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
                1st Dam: Innovative Idea (GSW, $229,343), by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Golden Velvet, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Caress, by Storm Cat
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $297,600. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 7-4-2-0, $671,867. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pretty Birdie, 120, f, 3, Bird Song–Bird Sense, by Street Sense. O/B-Marylou Whitney Stables LLC (KY); T-Norm W. Casse. $96,000.
3–Wicked Halo, 120, f, 3, Gun Runner–Just Wicked, by Tapit. O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $48,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2, 4HF. Odds: 1.00, 7.70, 12.80.
Also Ran: Marissa's Lady, Sweet Dani Girl, Gerrymander, Awake At Midnyte, Lac Vieux Desert, Ain't Easy. Scratched: Sweet as Pie.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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‘TDN Rising Star’ New Year’s Eve Upends Edgewood

First-time blinkers did the trick for 'TDN Rising Star' New Year's Eve, who uncorked a very impressive last-to-first rally to upend Friday's GII Edgewood S. on the Churchill turf.

A head-turning debut winner Dec. 10 at Fair Grounds over three next-out graduates, the blaze-faced chestnut added a narrow optional claiming tally there Jan. 29. She was bounced around in the stretch of the Mar. 12 Allen Black Cat Lacombe S. back in NOLA Mar. 12, and had to settle for third that day at 9-5.

More or less ignored here by the wagering public despite the equipment tweak and switch to hot-riding Luis Saez, New Year's Eve traveled slightly awkwardly past the stands for the first turn and around the bend, but eventually settled in at the caboose behind splits of :24.07 and :48.64. She caught the eye when given her cue to quicken into a six-furlong split of 1:13 flat, and continued to inhale rivals while out in the clear approaching the stretch. Looming large over the top, she blew them away from there to defy the odds.

“She relaxed really well,” said Saez. “I was able to save ground around the first turn. I came out a little after a half-mile because I saw horses in front stopping. At the top of the stretch, she was in the clear and boom. She was loving it. I could feel how happy she was.”

Walsh added, “She's been just a bit slow mentally. But she's getting it bit by bit. So we gave her some time to figure things out, then we gave her a push. We put blinkers on her for her last two works and she seemed to pick it up a bit. I was quietly confident that she'd be better today. And she was.”

Friday, Churchill Downs
EDGEWOOD S. PRESENTED BY FORCHT BANK-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-6, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.39, fm.
1–NEW YEAR'S EVE, 118, f, 3, by Kitten's Joy
   1st Dam: Awesome Rafaela (Brz), by Elusive Quality
   2nd Dam: Linda Rafaela (Brz), by Bin Ajwaad (Ire)
   3rd Dam: Poli Arumba, by Executioner

'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($110,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $105,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-Marc Detampel; B-Stud TNT LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Luis Saez. $294,500. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $353,600. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–McKulick (GB), 118, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Astrelle (Ire), by Makfi (GB). (180,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Essafinaat UK Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $95,000.
3–Dolce Zel (Fr), 120, f, 3, Zelzal (Fr)–Dolce Attesa (GB), by Dr Fong. O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb, and Robert V. LaPenta; B-Scuderia Micolo Di Nicola Galli & C. SNC (FR); T-Chad C. Brown. $47,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 4HF, HF. Odds: 14.60, 2.30, 2.00.
Also Ran: Kneesnhips, Beechnut Trophy-(DH), Dream Lith-(DH), Tap Dancing Lady, My Philly Twirl, Spicer, An Agent Mistake.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:
New Year's Eve becomes the 53rd graded/group winner for Kitten's Joy and his third winner of the Edgewood. Elusive Quality is the broodmare sire of 40 graded/group winners in the Northern Hemisphere, and 25 more south of the equator.

The winner's dam was a two-time winner in Brazil and is half to Brazilian Group 1 winner and U.S. GISP Viva Rafaela (Brz) (Know Heights {Ire}). She has a 2-year-old colt named Will Take Cash (Will Take Charge) who was a $42,000 KEESEP buy by J. Kirk and Judy Robison. Barren in her subsequent mating, Awesome Rafaela was carrying a Volatile filly (born Mar. 5) when purchased by Fergus Galvin–an advisor to New Year's Eve's owner Marc Detampel–for $95,000 at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale in February.

 

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Four Straight for Speightstown’s Olympiad

And the beat goes on for Olympiad (Speightstown), who looked to be in all sorts of trouble entering the final furlong of Friday's GII Alysheba S., but he called on his class and talent to repel a challenge from 'TDN Rising Star' Happy Saver (Super Saver) to remain perfect from four starts this season.

Away alertly, the odds-on favorite raced prominently under the wire for the first time and had company to his inside in the form of Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile) and from a three-wide Happy Saver. The Chiefswood homebred Weyburn took the Alysheba along through a steady opening half-mile, but Olympiad was asked to creep closer by Junior Alvarado with three furlongs to race. Happy Saver had that move covered and, indeed, appeared to be going the better of the two as he turned into the stretch with a clear advantage. Olympiad braced for the fight and, once swapping over to his correct lead at about the eighth pole and despite being race-ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard Happy Saver, found his second wind and proved a clear-cut winner in the finish. Title Ready (More Than Ready) rallied for third ahead of the hulking Weyburn, who looked to put a foot under the rail and bounced off the fence at the furlong grounds, albeit once a beaten horse.

A big-figure allowance winner at Keeneland last October, Olympiad was given a serious class test in the GI Cigar Mile H. Dec. 4 and did well to finish fourth. It's been nothing but blue skies since a stretch out to two turns this term, as the $700,000 Keeneland September buy thrashed Gulfstream allowance rivals by better than seven lengths Jan. 15 ahead of victories in the GIII Mineshaft S. Feb. 19 and Mar. 26 GII New Orleans Classic.

“It takes him awhile to get into his nice rhythm but then after that it's over,” Alvarado said. “Happy Saver was trying to do his job, riding tough on me trying not to give me much room for my horse to finish up his run. I knew there was a horse in there, but I tried to help a little bit, to keep my momentum going forward, but I like I said I wasn't doing anything, it was the horse on the outside putting the pressure on me.”

Pedigree Notes:

Hailing from one of the best Emory Hamilton families, Olympiad is out of a Grade III-placed half-sister to GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile heroine Hungry Island (More Than Ready), whose three winners from three to the races includes the stakes-placed Hamilton homebred mare Hungry Kitten (Kitten's Joy). Tokyo Time is also a half-sister to GSW Soaring Empire (Empire Maker) and to Flying Dixie (Dixieland Band), the dam of GISW and current Airdrie Stud sire Preservationist (Arch). Third dam Chic Shirine, winner of the 1987 GI Ashland S. and fifth in that year's GI Kentucky Oaks for Wayne Lukas, was a full-sister to champion older mare Queena and bred the graded-winning full-sibs Waldoboro (Lyphard) and Tara Roma as well as the dam of GISW Somali Lemonade (Lemon Drop Kid) and SW Rasta Farian (Holy Bull). Dual Grade I winner Verrazano (More Than Ready) also appears under the third dam.

Olympiad is bred on the exact same cross as ill-fated Grade I winner Rock Fall and GISW Competitionofideas and additional graded winners Souper Stonehenge and Strike Power.

Tokyo Time is the dam of the maiden 3-year-old colt Friendship Road (Quality Road), a 2-year-old filly by War Front and a yearling colt by American Pharoah. She was most recently served by Quality Road.

Friday, Churchill Downs
ALYSHEBA S. PRESENTED BY SENTIENT JET-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-6, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:41.60, ft.
1–OLYMPIAD, 120, c, 4, by Speightstown
                1st Dam: Tokyo Time (GSP, $249,177), by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Flying Passage, by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Chic Shirine, by Mr. Prospector
($700,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $303,800. Lifetime Record: 9-6-1-1, $952,240. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Happy Saver, 118, h, 5, Super Saver–Happy Week, by Distorted Humor. *TDN Rising Star* O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere    (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $98,000.
3–Title Ready, 118, h, 7, More Than Ready–Title Seeker, by Monarchos. O/B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. $49,000.
Margins: 2HF, 1HF, 2HF. Odds: 0.90, 3.70, 25.80.
Also Ran: Weyburn, Soy Tapatio, Fulsome, Max Player. Scratched: Militarist.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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