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Champion Vequist Heads Ky Oaks Noms

Champion 2-year-old filly Vequist (Nyquist), winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland last fall, tops the roster of 106 early nominations to the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs Apr. 30. Campaigned by a partnership consisting of Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swillcan Stable and trained by Butch Reid Jr., Vequist is based at Palm Meadows in South Florida and is scheduled to run in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream Park.

Other top contenders that were nominated to the Oaks include Stonestreet Stables' GIII Rachel Alexandra S. winner Clairiere (Curlin) and OXO Equine's runner-up Travel Column (Frosted); Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' GI Alcibiades S. winner Simply Ravishing (Laoban); and Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat (Curlin).

Trainer Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with nine fillies nominated to the Oaks followed by Kenny McPeek who had eight.

Each of the 106 fillies nominated to the Oaks were made eligible by a $200 payment that was due Feb. 13. Fillies not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks can be made eligible through a $1,500 late fee due Apr. 10 or a $25,000 supplemental nomination due at the time of entry. The Oaks field is limited to 14 starters and up to four fillies can be designated as “also-eligible” to start. Eligibility to compete is determined by points amassed during the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” point series.

A complete list of nominations will be available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.

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Champion Vequist Tops 106 Early Nominees To Kentucky Oaks

Champion 2-year-old filly Vequist, winner of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1), tops the roster of 106 early nominations to the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), North America's premier race for 3-year-old fillies that will be staged at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on Friday, April 30.

Owned in partnership by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swillcan Stable and trained by Butch Reid Jr., Vequist was a dominant two-length winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist is based at Palm Meadows in South Florida and is entered in Saturday's $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

Other top contenders that were nominated to the Longines Kentucky Oaks include Stonestreet Stables' $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) winner Clairiere and OXO Equine's runner-up Travel Column; Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' $350,000 Alcibiades (G1) winner Simply Ravishing; and Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat.

Each of the 106 fillies nominated to the Oaks were made eligible by a $200 payment that was due Feb. 13. A complete list of nominations will be available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.

Trainer Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with nine fillies nominated to the Oaks followed by Kenny McPeek who had eight.

Fillies not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks can be made eligible through a $1,500 late fee due April 10 or a $25,000 supplemental nomination due at the time of entry. The Oaks field is limited to 14 starters and up to four fillies can be designated as “also-eligible” to start. Eligibility to compete is determined by points amassed during the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” point series.

Like the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, the Longines Kentucky Oaks has been run each year without interruption since 1875. The lucrative race is the centerpiece of a spectacular day of racing and entertainment at Churchill Downs that celebrates fashion, food, celebrity and fun with a focus on women's health issues and outreach.

Klaravich Stables' millionaire Digital Age (IRE) is nominated to attempt a repeat bid in this year's $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (Grade 1) on Saturday, May 1 at Churchill Downs.

The Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, run at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course, annually attracts some of the nation's top turf horses. This year's race has 75 horses that were nominated. Previous winners include 2019 Horse of the Year and Champion Turf Male Bricks and Mortar; two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan; and Eclipse Award winners Manila, English Channel, Sky Classic and Paradise Creek. Einstein (BRZ) a Grade 1 winner on both dirt and turf, won back-to-back renewals in 2008-09.

Digital Age is one of 17 horses from trainer Chad Brown's stable nominated to the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic.

Another accomplished turf specialist nominated to this year's race is Robert and Lawana Low's $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) winner Colonel Liam. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Colonal Liam joined six other stablemates on the nomination list.

In total, 13 Grade 1 winners were nominated to this year's Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic. The full list of nominations are available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.

The winner of the March 20 Muniz Memorial Handicap (G2) at Fair Grounds will be granted an automatic berth to the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic as well as the Arlington Million (G1). The winner of the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic also will be granted an automatic berth to the Arlington Million.

Horses nominated to the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic were made eligible by a $100 payment that was due Feb. 13. Horses not nominated can qualify through a $1,000 late fee due April 10 or a $20,000 supplemental nomination due at the time of entry on April 27. The race is limited to 14 starters with preference given to winners of graded turf stakes and, after that, highest earnings in stakes races on turf in 2020-21.

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A Life-Changing Mare for Breeders of Travel Column

Sometimes you talk to a breeder and know instantly that each and every horse he or she raises is their pride and joy.

There might be no better example than Chris Welker.

As the co-breeder of 'TDN Rising Star' Travel Column (Frosted), Welker can share dozens of stories of the youngster's time at Spring Ridge Farm. She can tell you about the many frustrating sessions they went through when Travel Column was a hard-headed yearling, but if you bring up the filly's win in last year's GII Golden Rod S., you can practically hear her beaming through the phone. Ask her to show you a photo or two of Travel Column's younger days, and she'll pull out 20.

For Chris and her husband Bayne Welker, Fasig-Tipton's Executive Vice President, Travel Column is their most accomplished horse after nearly 20 years in the business as breeders. To make her even more special to the couple, they nearly missed out on purchasing her dam.

In 2016, Welker was on the hunt for a mare for a client at the Keeneland November Sale. While stopping by the Denali Stud consignment, she asked if they had anything that might fit her farm's budget. They said they did, but that the mare was by Victory Gallop.

“I told them I didn't know if I wanted a Victory Gallop mare, but I saw her and I really liked her,” Welker said. “She was very pretty, not really big. I loved the fact that a couple of her foals had sold for a lot of money.”

The mare, named Swingit and in foal to Bodemeister, had produced three winners but she also had two dead foals on her record and had not produced a foal the year prior.

“She had a little bit of a spotty produce record but you could say she'd probably be worth a shot for $50,000,” Welker said, recalling her thought process. “I thought if she ends up having a good Bodemeister, she'll pay for herself.”

So with a strict budget in mind, Welker watched Swingit enter the sales ring and crossed her fingers as she raised her hand for a budget-maxing $50,000.

“Lo and behold, we got her for exactly that,” she recalled. “I don't think I'd have paid any more. That's a lot of money for us.”

The next day, Swingit's third foal Neolithic (Harlan's Holday) ran second in the GIII Discovery S. in his stakes debut. He would go on to place in three Graded or Group I races and earn over $2 million.

Welker's hopes for the Bodemeister foal came true when the colt sold for $310,000, the highest-priced yearling for his sire in 2018.

Welker had a stallion in mind for Swingit after she foaled, but Denali's Craig Bandoroff called with a different idea.

“Craig was kicking himself for not buying the mare,” she said. “He called and said he would like to do a foal share with Frosted. He said we needed to breed her to something new and exciting.”

When it came time for Swingit to foal, Welker was left on her own as Bayne was off inspecting yearlings.

“The mare had a bit of a funny produce record and I was a bit nervous because I didn't know her well,” she admitted. “Most of the mares I've had for a while and I know them.”

Thankfully, everything went smoothly and Travel Column made her way into the world Apr. 10, 2018.

“The mare was perfect and it was a beautiful foal so I took pictures and sent them to everybody,” Welker said. “I'm proud of the fact that I got to foal her by myself. If I had known what she was going to be worth, it wouldn't have been so easy, I can tell you that.”

It didn't take long for Welker to learn this Frosted filly danced to the beat of her own drum.

“I thought she'd be either really good or not worth a damn because she was really tough,” Welker quipped. “She took tough to a whole new level. If she was in one of those moods, you might as well walk away and try the next day. It was her rules, not yours. I don't care if you were six feet tall and 250 pounds, it wasn't going to happen if it wasn't on her terms. I hated that about her, but I also loved it about her.”

As the filly developed and the weeks closed in on the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale, Welker knew a flight from Kentucky to New York could prove problematic for the spirited filly.

“I thought, God if we get to the airport and she gives us any trouble on the airplane, it's not going to be good,” she said. “So I just started trailering her around. If I was going somewhere I would just load her up and take her with me a few times a week. I took her to the grocery store with me.”

When the day came for Travel Column to ship out, she boarded the plane without a hitch or an ounce of sedative.

Welker's goal going into the sale was for the filly to reach $400,000, but she said her conservative husband was thinking perhaps half that amount. A few days into showing, Welker's price point had gotten a bit higher.

“By the second-to-last day of showing, you're starting to think crazy because you could see how popular she was and how she had absolutely taken control of that show. When they would bring her out, everybody wanted to know who she was.”

Travel Column's $850,000 hammer price was the most expensive sale for her first-crop sire in 2019.

But Swingit's next foal would prove to be Welker's favorite yet.

After foaling Travel Column, Swingit was supposed to go to an up-and-coming proven stallion with some rumored fertility issues, but Welker had bigger plans.

“Bayne really wanted to breed her to the less expensive stallion and I said 'Bayne, I really do not have a good feeling about this. Just let me do what I need to do,'” she said. “From the time Neolithic came along, my dream was to take her to American Pharoah because I thought, when else would a person like me have a chance to breed to him?”

The horsewoman said she still remembers hauling the mare into Ashford Stud and clipping American Pharoah's tag onto Swingit's halter.

“I've got pictures of it on my phone,” she said. “I just remember standing there thinking that this foal is going to be worth a million dollars, he's going to be a solid bay and it's going to be a colt.”

Aside from one small star on an otherwise bay colt, Welker's premonitions turned out to be completely correct.

Last year, Swingit's American Pharoah colt, now named Corton Charlemagne, sold for $1.25 million to Speedway Stables.

“I had envisioned for so long what he would be like and he was exactly that,” Welker said with emotion. “He's got the same temperament as American Pharoah. He knows what you're thinking. He's smart, very laid-back and self-confident. His picture is my Facebook profile. Every time I look at a picture of him or start thinking about him, I just start crying. I just want everything to be the best for him.”

This year, Swingit's City of Light yearling colt will see the sales ring.

“We're as excited about him as we've been about any of them,” Welker said. “I see a lot of the filly in him. He's a little more precocious like she was, but he's got that laid-back way like the American Pharoah colt.”

While Swingit was barren this year, she was bred to Uncle Mo a few days ago.

As Welker monitors the development of Swingit's youngest foal, she keeps a close eye on Travel Column from afar.

“I think she has a really exciting future,” she said. “[In the GII Golden Rod S.] we were just hoping she would hit the board. We didn't really expect her to win, but then the way she won was pretty exciting.”

Travel Column made her sophomore debut in last weekend's GII Rachel Alexandra S., running second by a neck to Stonestreet homebred Clairiere (Curlin).

“I would not want to be around her right now after she got beat,” Welker said. “I guarantee you that she's a little tougher than normal if I know her at all.”

For nearly 20 years, the horsewoman has been running the Welker's 70-acre Spring Ridge Farm with the full-time help of two employees and weekend help from husband Bayne. They currently have five of their own mares, plus three client mares, seven yearlings and two geldings.

She said she tries not to think about what a win in the GI Kentucky Oaks would mean for their farm, but instead focuses on everything that has already been achieved since she purchased Swingit.

“This mare has already changed our lives,” she said. “The American Pharoah colt is the love of my life. [An Oaks win] would be amazing but I don't even want to think about [it]. I'm just so grateful for what Travel Column has done for us already. She's the most accomplished horse for us by a landslide.”

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TDN Oaks Top 10 for February 18

Last week's major development was the win by Clairiere (Curlin) in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, where she won a hard-fought decision over Travel Column (Frosted). With the victory, she has jumped up to the No. 2 spot in our rankings. She also becomes the third daughter of Curlin to make it into the Top 10 and a fourth, Millefeuille (Curlin), is knocking on the door for the Bill Mott stable.

The other big change this week is that Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) drops out. While the connections say that the GI Kentucky Oaks is still in their plans, it's noteworthy that the filly has not had a published work since Jan. 24. Once she returns to the worktab, we'll put her back on the list.

1) VEQUIST (Nyquist—Vero Amore, by Mineshaft)
O-Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable & Swilcan Stable. B-Swilcan Stables (KY). T-Robert E. Reid, Jr. Sales History: $120,000 RNA ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly & MGISW, 4-2-2-0, $1,235,500.
Last Start: 1st GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, KEE, Nov. 6
Accomplishments Include: 1st GI Spinaway S., SAR, Sept. 6, 2nd GI Frizette S., BEL, Oct. 10
Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 24

The clear leader of this division until proven otherwise. Trainer Butch Reid says that all systems are go as he prepares for her 3-year-old debut in the GII Davona Dale S. Feb. 27 at Gulfstream. “She's doing real well and I'm really happy with her,” he said. “She came out of that last breeze [five furlongs in :59.65] good. It was a little faster than I wanted her to go but she handled it well and has been eating up since. All the major work is done, she's where I want her and we're ready to go for the race. We have kept it light with her. We have had three five-eighths works. She can be a bit of a finicky eater so we've been trying to keep her in her feed tub and keep the weight on her because she has a long, tough road ahead of her. This first race will be a nice stepping stone and we expect her to run well.”

2) CLAIRIERE (Curlin–Cavorting, by Bernardini)
O/B-Stonestreet Stables (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $270,492.
Last Start: 1st GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13
Accomplishments Include: 2nd GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28
Next Start: Possible for GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 54

Daughter of Curlin moved way up with her win in the Rachel Alexandra, which has been a productive prep for the Kentucky Oaks. Three Rachel Alexandra winners have gone on to win the Oaks since 2014. The top Oaks threat from the powerful Steve Asmussen barn, she didn't get her career started until winning an Oct. 25 maiden at Churchill Downs and followed that up with a second-place finish in the GII Golden Rod S., where she was beaten by Travel Column. Having turned the tables on her rival, she looks best of the Fair Grounds-based horses heading to the Kentucky Oaks. She is the first foal out of Cavorting, winner of the GI Ogden Phipps S., the GI Personal Ensign S. and the GI Test S.

3) MALATHAAT (Curlin–Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy)
'TDN Rising Star' O-Shadwell Stable. B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $1,050,000 ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-0, $172,150.
Last Start: 1st GII Demoiselle S., AQU, Dec. 5
Accomplishments Include: 1st Tempted S., AQU, Nov. 6
Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10

The Davona Dale will be a big test for the undefeated daughter of Curlin, who reeled off wins late last year in the Tempted and the GII Demoiselle S. There is a lot to like with her, starting with her breeding and the fact she comes from the Todd Pletcher stable. But she definitely has something to prove, as she has yet to post a particularly fast Beyer number and probably hasn't faced Grade I-level competition as of yet. Her dam Dreaming of Julia was runner-up in the 2013 Davona Dale before winning the GII Gulfstream Oaks by 21 3/4 lengths (video).

4) ZAAJEL (Street Sense–Asiya, by Daaher)
O/B-Shadwell Stable (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $84,140.
Last Start: 1st GIII Forward Gal S., GP, Jan. 31
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10

Like Malathaat, a product of the potent Pletcher-Shadwell Stable team. She broke her maiden at first asking in December, winning by 7 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream and followed that up with a win in the Forward Gal S. at seven furlongs. Appears to have a world of ability but has plenty to prove, starting with her ability to go two turns. With two top 3-year-old fillies from the same owner, Pletcher will need to figure out a way to keep them apart. Shadwell is well positioned to win its first Kentucky Oaks. Pletcher will be after his fourth win in the race.

5) TRAVEL COLUMN (Frosted–Swingit, by Victory Gallop)
'TDN Rising Star' O-OXO Equine. B-Mr. & Mrs. Bayne Welker, Jr. & Denali Stud (KY). T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $850,000 ylg '19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP,
4-2-1-1, $269,184.
Last Start: 2nd GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28, 3rd GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE, Oct. 2
Next Start: Possible for the GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 32

After finishing second in the Rachel Alexandra, she slips down a few notches on the list. Then again, there was nothing particularly disappointing about her performance. She was beaten by a good one in Clairiere, and that filly got a perfect ground-saving trip under Joe Talamo. An $850,000 yearling purchase at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, she is by Frosted out of a Victory Gallop mare and should have no problem getting the Oaks distance of nine furlongs. Can Brad Cox win his third Oaks over the last four years?

6) SIMPLY RAVISHING (Laoban–Four Wishes, by More Than Ready)
O-Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing & Nehoc Stables.
B-Meg Levy (NY). T-Ken McPeek. Sales History: $50,000 ylg '19 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: GISW, 5-3-0-0, $414,200.
Last Start: 4th GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28
Accomplishments Include: 1st GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE,
Oct. 2, 1st P.G. Johnson S., SAR, Sept. 3
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 13

Through Feb. 17, she has had just two half-mile breezes this year for trainer Kenny McPeek. That could mean she won't have her first race for a couple of weeks, but McPeek should have plenty of time to get her ready for the Oaks. She was last seen running fourth in the Golden Rod behind Travel Column and Clairiere, a race that looks better now that those two have jumped up and run well this year. Coach (Commissioner), the third-place finisher in that race, also ran well in her 2021 debut, finishing second in the Martha Washington S. Simply Ravishing's best performance came when she won the GI Darley Alcibiades S.

7) KALYPSO (Brody's Cause–Malibu Cove, by Malibu Moon)
O-David A. Bernsen, Rockingham Ranch & Chad Littlefield. B-Spendthrift Farm (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $240,000 ylg '19 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP,
5-2-2-1, $245,600.
Last Start: 2nd GIII Las Virgenes S., SA, Feb. 6
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Santa Ynez S., SA, Jan. 3, 1st Anoakia S., SA, Oct. 18, 2nd GI Starlet S., LRC, Dec. 5
Next Start: Possible for GIII Santa Ysabel S., SA, Mar. 7
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 18

The California contingent isn't holding up well. None of them have turned in fast Beyer numbers and Las Virgenes S. winner Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) has been sent to the sidelines with a minor problem. The group also lost Grade I winner Princess Noor (Not This Time). Bob Baffert has a couple of contenders in this division and it looks like Kalypso is the best of this bunch. She picked up a graded stakes win in the GII Santa Ynez S. and ran creditably when second in the Las Virgenes. Is 0-for-2 around two turns.

8) SLUMBER PARTY (Malibu Moon–Devilish Lady, by Sweetsouthernsaint)
'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Gary and Mary West Stables (KY). T-Kelly Breen. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $25,800.
Last Start: 1st MSW, GP, Jan. 24
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 0

The 'TDN Rising Star' has a lot of potential, but also has some catching up to do after her impressive maiden win in her debut. Trainer Kelly Breen has yet to lay out a schedule to get her to the Oaks and says that the Davona Dale is not in the plans. But he's certainly high on the homebred owned by Gary and Mary West. “The sky is the limit for this filly,” Breen said. “She's a nice, fast horse.” Her dam, Devilish Lady (Sweetsouthernsaint) was claimed for $16,000 but went on to win the GIII Azalea S.

9) CURLIN'S CATCH (Curlin–Catch the Thrill, by A.P. Indy)
O-Breeze Easy, Inc. B-Sam-Son Farm (ON). T-Mark E Casse. Sales History: $180,000 yrl '19 KEESEP; $430,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-1-0, $103,454.
Last Start: 1st Suncoast S., TAM, Feb. 6
Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10

The third Curlin on the list and an Ontario-bred, Curlin's Catch made the list after winning the Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Mark Casse. Casse could have kept her at Tampa Bay but has decided instead to give her what will be a serious test in the Davona Dale. Casse has another possible starter in the Oaks. Also a daughter of Curlin, Souper Sensational will look to get back on track after finishing sixth in the Rachel Alexandra.

10) THE GRASS IS BLUE (Broken Vow–Shine Softly, by Adebaran)
O-Louis Lazzinnaro LLC. B-Phillips Racing Partnership (KY). T-Chad Brown. Sales History: $20,000 yrl '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 5-3-0-1, $121,978.
Last Start: 1st Busanda S., Aqu, Jan. 24
Accomplishments Include: 3rd Anne Arundel County S., Lrl, Dec. 26
Next Start: Possible for Busher Invitational S., AQU, Mar. 6
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10

Romped in her first start, a $20,000 maiden claimer at Monmouth, for trainer John Stephens before showing up in the Chad Brown barn in her next start. She won that day, as well, in a Keeneland allowance race. She continues to improve and did her best running to date when winning the Busanda S. at Aqueduct. Remains in New York and will likely take that route to the Kentucky Oaks. Blinkers seemed to have helped her in the Busanda.

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