LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three undefeated fillies and a fourth that faced the boys in her last outing will join the morning line favorite in Friday’s $1.25 million Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle the morning line favorite Nest (5-2), who has only one loss coming in an ungraded stake during her 2-year-old season.
The daughter of Curlin will be looking to provide Pletcher with his fifth Oaks training win and second in a row with a Curlin-sired filly.
Echo Zulu, the 2-year-old filly champion, Kathleen O. and Shahama all come into the race unbeaten, and Secret Oath enters off a third-place effort in the Arkansas Derby against males.
The 148th Run for the Lilies is the feature race on Friday’s card under the Twin Spires. The race will be broadcast live on USA Network during a five-hour telecast through 6 p.m. Post time for the Oaks is 5:51 p.m.
The weather forecast is iffy with periods of rain for Friday, so the probability of a wet track is high.
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Let’s take a look at the field (post position, trainer, jockey, morning line odds in parenthesis):
Kentucky Oaks – Race 11 – 1 1/8 miles – Churchill Downs – 5:51 p.m. – USA Network
1 – Secret Oath (Lukas, Saez, 6-1). Qualified by virtue of her win in the Honeybee, we’ll see how much running against the boys took out of her. If the morning line holds, the homebred daughter of Arrogate would be a bargain. She certainly has the talent to compete if she has anything left in the tank. Contender.
2 – Nostalgic (Mott, Ortiz, 15-1). One of the few races that Bill Mott is missing from his training resume. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro won the Gazelle to punch her ticket and has a decent off-track pedigree to boot. Should have no problem with the 9-furlong distance. Steps up on an off track.
3 – Hidden Connection (Calhoun, R Gutierrez, 20-1). Was gaining on the 2-year-old champ at the Fair Grounds, but couldn’t get by her. The added distance may help the daughter of Connect. Gutierrez, son of a Finger Lakes trainer (Luis), is aboard this long shot hopeful. Interesting.
4 – Nest (Pletcher, Ortiz Jr., 5-2). Has received rave reviews from her morning works, but will have to translate it to the afternoon against steep competition. She has the stamina and speed to give Pletcher a record-tying fifth win to draw even with legendary trainer Woody Stephens. The one to beat.
5 – Goddess of Fire (Pletcher, Velazquez, 15-1). Second of three Pletcher fillies running in the feature on Friday. Hasn’t won since her maiden debut but has competed against top notch fillies. She’s a cut below the upper echelon in the race.
6 – Yuugiri (Brisset, Geroux, 30-1). Long shot who will try and set the pace early. Was drubbed by Secret Oath in their only meeting at Oaklawn and benefited from her defection in the Fantasy to take on the Arkansas Derby. Likely will run out of gas after the fast start.
7 – Echo Zulu (Asmussen, Rosario, 4-1). Last year’s 2-year-old champion is still undefeated in five career races and her ho-hum effort in the Fair Ground Oaks in her only 2022 start has horseplayers looking elsewhere. The daughter of Gun Runner could be the start of a big weekend for the Hall of Fame trainer at a price we haven’t seen since her maiden debut. She hasn’t let anyone get by her to date and she likely needed the last race to get things going. The pick.
8 – Venti Valentine (Abreu, Gaffalione, 30-1). Gazelle runner-up enters deep waters venturing out of New York for the first time. The New York-bred filly is by Firing Line, who enjoyed a nice day at the track on Derby Day in 2015 finishing a close second to Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh. The chestnut filly has to make a big move forward. Pass.
9 – Desert Dawn (D’Amato, Rispoli, 20-1). When was the last time the Santa Anita Oaks winner was at 20-1 on the morning line? The daughter of Cupid has been flying under the radar after posting a couple of impressive works on the West Coast. Could be used underneath in the exotics.
10 – Kathleen O. (McGaughey, Castellano, 7-2). Impressive Gulfstream Oaks winner sports the biggest speed figure in the group but has not looked overly impressive in the morning. Shug doesn’t seem worried and is one of the best in the business. Castellano will ride again looking for his fifth consecutive aboard the filly. In the mix.
11 – Cocktail Moments (McPeek, Lanerie, 30-1). Uncle Mo filly enters deep waters and lacks the speed to compete against the monsters in this race. Would be a huge surprise.
12– Candy Raid (Desormeaux, Bejarano, 30-1). Seasoned runner will make her 11th start over her eighth track across the country. Qualified over Turfway’s synthetic surface and will be a big price.
13 – Shahama (Pletcher, Prat, 15-1). Transferred to the Pletcher barn upon her arrival in the States from Dubai. Undefeated in four career races all at Meydan, including the qualifying UAE Oaks. The unbeaten Munnings filly hasn’t been challenged in any of her four races, but will face her steepest test to date in the Oaks. She has a muddy track win on her resume. Considering underneath.
14 – Turnerloose (Cox, Franco, 20-1). Daughter of Nyquist won the Rachel Alexandra at the Fair Grounds to earn her spot in the gate. She has turned some heads in the morning but will have some work to do from the outside post.
15 (AE) – Beguine (Peltz, Santana Jr., 230-1). Daughter of Gun Runner will need a scratch in the main body of the field to get in. The chestnut filly just missed qualifying for the field by a neck to Yuugiri in the Fantasy. Only has a maiden win on the resume, but will be stuck way outside and will need to navigate her way to not be caught wide into the clubhouse turn.
Post Time Outlook: 1 – Echo Zulu; 2 – Secret Oath; 3 – Kathleen O.; 4 – Nest.
Long shots, exotics players: Desert Dawn, Hidden Connection.
Gene Kershner, a Buffalo-based turf writer, is a member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, and tweets @EquiSpace.
