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Former claiming horse Sis City, a dominating winner of three consecutive stakes races, looms as a heavy favorite in Friday's 131st running of the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.
A crowd of more than 100,000 is expected to gather under the famed Twin Spires of the historic track for the mile and an eighth race that is as old as the Kentucky Derby, which will be renewed the following day at Churchill Downs. This year's Oaks is the first since historic track completed its sweeping $121 million renovation and the race has attracted a field of nine fillies.
Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has installed Sis City as the odds-on favorite at 4-5 in his morning line for Friday's race. The daughter of Slew City Slew, who is owned by a partnership that includes Stonerside Farm and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, scored an emphatic 10 ½-length victory in the $500,000-added Ashland Stakes (GI) at Keeneland in her most recent start. That romp capped a three-race winning streak that also includes a 16-length runaway in the Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream Park and a 3 ¾-length win in the Demoiselle (GII) at Aqueduct in November.
Trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. claimed Sis City out of a narrow victory in a maiden race for $50,000 claiming fillies at Saratoga in early August. She romped to a 16-length victory in the Mongo Queen Stakes at Monmouth Park in her first start for her new connections and has now won four of six races for Dutrow. Stonerside purchased controlling interest in Sis City earlier this year for an undisclosed price.
"Every time we've run her, she has been superb," said Dutrow. "After winning the Davona Dale the way she did, we knew we had a nice horse."
Her three-race winning streak has lifted her career record to 5-0-2 in nine races with earnings of $682,980. Edgar Prado, who won the 2003 Kentucky Oaks aboard Marylou Whitney's Bird Town, will be in the saddle.
The early second choice in the Oaks is Live Oak Plantation's In the Gold, the winner of the recent Stonerside Beaumont (GII) at Keeneland. The daughter of Golden Missile is trained by Nick Zito, who saddled Bird Town to win the 2003 Oaks and will start five 3-year-olds - including Live Oak's High Fly - in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
Zito and Live Oak Plantation will be looking to complete a rare Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double with In the Gold and High Fly. The last owner to win both races in the same year was fabled Calumet Farm, which sent out Real Delight to win the Kentucky Oaks and took the Derby's roses the following day with Hill Gail. The legendary Ben A. Jones trained both winners.
In the Gold has compiled a 3-3-1 record and has earned $317,862. She will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, who led the nation's jockeys in victories in 2004 and the defending winner of the Spring Meet riding title at Churchill Downs. She is listed as the 7-2 second choice in Battaglia's Kentucky Oaks morning line.
Looking to avenge a lopsided loss in the Ashland is Winchell Thoroughbreds' Summerly, who had a three-race winning streak snapped when she finished fourth, beaten 19 ¼-lengths by Sis City. The daughter of Summer Squall won the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) and the Silverbulletday (GIII) at the Fair Grounds prior to the Ashland and trainer Steve Asmussen believes his star filly to rebound in the Oaks.
"She ran horrible at Keeneland - extremely terrible and disappointing," said Asmussen. "We think we've got her turned back around for the Oaks. We'll see."
Asmussen, who crushed the all-time record for victories by a trainer in a single year in 2004 and leads the nation in wins again this year, will give Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey a leg-up aboard Summerly in the Kentucky Oaks. Bailey will be looking for his third victory in the race after winning in 1993 aboard Ogden Mills Phipps' Dispute and in 2000 aboard Juddmonte Farm's Flute.
Other contenders in the 131st running of the Kentucky Oaks include Naveed Chowhan's Runway Model (6-1), winner of the Golden Rod (GII) at Churchill Downs and the Darley Alcibiades (GII) at Keeneland and Buckram Oak Farm's Aspen Tree (8-1), the Carl Nafzger-trained runner-up in the Stonerside Beaumont.
Jockey Greta Kuntzweiler will bid to make history in the Kentucky Oaks as she rides Al and Saundra Kirkwood's Rugula (20-1), the runner-up in the Fantasy (GII) at Oaklawn Park. A win aboard the Grant Forster-trained filly would make Kuntzweiler the first female rider to win the race. All nine fillies in the Kentucky Oaks will carry 121 pounds. If all nine start, the total purse for the race will be $559,400 - and $346,828 would go to the winner.
Former claiming horse Sis City, a dominating winner of three consecutive stakes races, looms as a heavy favorite in Friday's 131st running of the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.
A crowd of more than 100,000 is expected to gather under the famed Twin Spires of the historic track for the mile and an eighth race that is as old as the Kentucky Derby, which will be renewed the following day at Churchill Downs. This year's Oaks is the first since historic track completed its sweeping $121 million renovation and the race has attracted a field of nine fillies.
Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has installed Sis City as the odds-on favorite at 4-5 in his morning line for Friday's race. The daughter of Slew City Slew, who is owned by a partnership that includes Stonerside Farm and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, scored an emphatic 10 ½-length victory in the $500,000-added Ashland Stakes (GI) at Keeneland in her most recent start. That romp capped a three-race winning streak that also includes a 16-length runaway in the Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream Park and a 3 ¾-length win in the Demoiselle (GII) at Aqueduct in November.
Trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. claimed Sis City out of a narrow victory in a maiden race for $50,000 claiming fillies at Saratoga in early August. She romped to a 16-length victory in the Mongo Queen Stakes at Monmouth Park in her first start for her new connections and has now won four of six races for Dutrow. Stonerside purchased controlling interest in Sis City earlier this year for an undisclosed price.
"Every time we've run her, she has been superb," said Dutrow. "After winning the Davona Dale the way she did, we knew we had a nice horse."
Her three-race winning streak has lifted her career record to 5-0-2 in nine races with earnings of $682,980. Edgar Prado, who won the 2003 Kentucky Oaks aboard Marylou Whitney's Bird Town, will be in the saddle.
The early second choice in the Oaks is Live Oak Plantation's In the Gold, the winner of the recent Stonerside Beaumont (GII) at Keeneland. The daughter of Golden Missile is trained by Nick Zito, who saddled Bird Town to win the 2003 Oaks and will start five 3-year-olds - including Live Oak's High Fly - in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
Zito and Live Oak Plantation will be looking to complete a rare Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double with In the Gold and High Fly. The last owner to win both races in the same year was fabled Calumet Farm, which sent out Real Delight to win the Kentucky Oaks and took the Derby's roses the following day with Hill Gail. The legendary Ben A. Jones trained both winners.
In the Gold has compiled a 3-3-1 record and has earned $317,862. She will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, who led the nation's jockeys in victories in 2004 and the defending winner of the Spring Meet riding title at Churchill Downs. She is listed as the 7-2 second choice in Battaglia's Kentucky Oaks morning line.
Looking to avenge a lopsided loss in the Ashland is Winchell Thoroughbreds' Summerly, who had a three-race winning streak snapped when she finished fourth, beaten 19 ¼-lengths by Sis City. The daughter of Summer Squall won the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) and the Silverbulletday (GIII) at the Fair Grounds prior to the Ashland and trainer Steve Asmussen believes his star filly to rebound in the Oaks.
"She ran horrible at Keeneland - extremely terrible and disappointing," said Asmussen. "We think we've got her turned back around for the Oaks. We'll see."
Asmussen, who crushed the all-time record for victories by a trainer in a single year in 2004 and leads the nation in wins again this year, will give Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey a leg-up aboard Summerly in the Kentucky Oaks. Bailey will be looking for his third victory in the race after winning in 1993 aboard Ogden Mills Phipps' Dispute and in 2000 aboard Juddmonte Farm's Flute.
Other contenders in the 131st running of the Kentucky Oaks include Naveed Chowhan's Runway Model (6-1), winner of the Golden Rod (GII) at Churchill Downs and the Darley Alcibiades (GII) at Keeneland and Buckram Oak Farm's Aspen Tree (8-1), the Carl Nafzger-trained runner-up in the Stonerside Beaumont.
Jockey Greta Kuntzweiler will bid to make history in the Kentucky Oaks as she rides Al and Saundra Kirkwood's Rugula (20-1), the runner-up in the Fantasy (GII) at Oaklawn Park. A win aboard the Grant Forster-trained filly would make Kuntzweiler the first female rider to win the race. All nine fillies in the Kentucky Oaks will carry 121 pounds. If all nine start, the total purse for the race will be $559,400 - and $346,828 would go to the winner.
