Four
of the past seven winners of the $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (Grade II)
have won the $1 million Kentucky
Oaks (GI).
The
filly with the chance to complete that double this year is James M. Miller’s
Daisy Devine, who held off the charge of Dede McGehee’s St. John’s River to win Saturday’s richest
running of Fair Grounds’ 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies by a
half-length. Niji’s Grand Girl closed for third and favored Inglorious
finished fourth in the field of nine.
James
Graham was aboard the winner for
Kentucky-based trainer Andrew McKeever. Daisy Devine covered the
distance in 1:44.25 over a fast track.
Debbie
Miller, the owner’s wife, said the
May 6 Kentucky Oaks will be run on the Millers’ fifth wedding anniversary.
“It
was Kentucky Derby Day that year,” she said, “and we had a Kentucky Derby
party.”
Fillies
that have swept the Fair Grounds Oaks-Kentucky Oaks double include Ashado
(2004), Summerly (2005), Proud Spell (2008) and Horse of the Year
Rachel Alexandra (2009).
Earlier,
Adele Dilscheider and Claiborne Farm’s Might, a sister to
2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) winner Blame, scored her first victory
when she took a mile and 70 yard maiden race by a 1 ½ lengths.
ARIENZA
EARNS FANTASY BID
Robert
and Lawana Low’s Arienza, an
impressive daughter Giant’s Causeway out of Horse of the Year Azeri, was an
easy 2 ½-length winner in a one-mile allowance race on Sunday at Oaklawn Park.
Trainer
Dan Peitz had said a good effort would earn Arienza a start in Oaklawn’s
$300,000 Fantasy (GII) on April 10.
MIDWEST
(Illinois, Kentucky) – SUMMER SOIREE ROLLS IN BOURBONETTE OAKS TO GIVE LARRY
JONES TWO KENTUCKY OAKS THREATS
Kentucky native Larry Jones, back on the job as a
trainer after spending a year on the sidelines, lists his 2008 Kentucky Oaks
victory with Proud Spell as a career highlight. Now, just weeks into his
return to training, Jones finds a pair of strong contenders for a second
Kentucky Oaks victory in his barn.
Joyful
Victory earned that status a few
weeks back with an easy victory in the Honeybee (GIII) at Oaklawn Park, and Summer
Soiree became Jones’ second serious Kentucky Oaks contender as the daughter
of hot sire War Front rolled a 10 ¾-length romp over Harlan’s Ruby in
Saturday’s $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks (GIII) at Turfway Park.
“We
may go straight to the Kentucky Oaks off this,” Jones said. “She runs very well
with time between starts, and 41 days should be a good time.”
Brereton
Jones, who owned Proud Spell, owns
Summer Soiree with his son Bret and Wahoo Partners.
WEST
(Arizona, California,
New Mexico) /
BAFFERT’S PLUM PRETTY WINS SUNLAND OAKS BY 25
Peachtree
Stable’s Plum Pretty, who had
run well against Southern California’s best 3-year-old fillies, travelled to New Mexico on Sunday and toyed with the locals in a
25-length romp under jockey Martin Garcia in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks.
The
Medaglia d’Oro filly covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.91 and perhaps a spot in the Kentucky
Oaks starting gate.