Condo Commando, Stellar Wind and Lovely Maria strut their stuff as Include Betty enters Kentucky Oaks picture

The Kentucky Oaks (G1) has gotten both clearer and murkier thanks to Saturday’s final four major preps and points races. Each winner displayed grit and made the case for why she should be favored in the May 1 Oaks at Churchill Downs.

In an attempt to remain impartial, the races will be discussed in chronological order, so that means first up is the Gazelle S. (G2) at Aqueduct.

There really isn’t much to say about the race, the only one on Saturday that took place at the Oaks distance of 1 1/8 miles (other three were 1 1/16 miles). Condo Commando (Tiz Wonderful) did her usual job of leading all the way home. She was briefly challenged by Puca (Big Brown) for pacesetting duties rounding the first turn, but quickly put that filly in her place and drew off.

Condo Commando appeared to be jogging along at her own pace, but still turned back each challenge that came her way. The field even seemed ready to swamp her entering the stretch, but all it took was a shake of the reins from jockey Joel Rosario and the dark bay lass pulled off to earn a 97 BRIS Speed rating, the same number she garnered for her Busher S. victory to open the year.

The odd thing was that Condo Commando kept cocking her head toward the infield. Could be something caught her attention, but she’ll need to remain focused with all the hullabaloo that surrounds Oaks Day.

Puca finished a nice second and seems to have really moved forward off her well-beaten fourth in the Davona Dale S. (G2). She could turn into a real threat if that improvement continues between now and May 1.

Keeneland’s Ashland S. (G1) was supposed to be Peace and War’s (War Front) shot at earning enough points to make the Oaks field. The Florida-bred shipped over from Britain last fall to take the track’s Alcibiades S. (G1), but hadn’t competed since, stateside or overseas.

Peace and War shipped from Britain once again for the Ashland, but this time ran into a filly from trainer Larry Jones’ barn. That nearly always means trouble, and it proved true on Saturday as Lovely Maria (Majesticperfection) tracked in second just off the flank of Angela Renee (Bernardini), who ran nearly in tandem with pacesetter Temper Mint Patty (Congrats).

Peace and War was keeping pace to Lovely Maria’s inside down the backstretch, but began fading nearing the final turn and was last on the wire. Her connections indicated she needed the race following the long layoff but gave no mention if the Oaks was still on the table.

As for Lovely Maria, that bay lass immediately challenged Angela Renee after she took command on the turn. She had already gained a slim margin by the time the duo hit the stretch and merely extended her advantage from there when straightened for the drive home by jockey Kerwin Clark, who earned the first Grade 1 win of his career in the race.

Lovely Maria was herself earning a first stakes victory in the Ashland, and extended nicely in the lane to be awarded a 96 BRIS Speed number. Even better, she also garnered a 99 BRIS Late Pace figure, indicating a versatility that could come in handy in the Oaks.

Angela Renee ended finishing second once again to a Jones trainee. In her prior start the bay miss ran fourth to I’m a Chatterbox (Munnings) in the Rachel Alexandra S. (G3) in late February at Fair Grounds.

Jones has said that he considers Lovely Maria and I’m a Chatterbox, who captured last weekend’s Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), to be about equal at this point. It’ll be interesting to see which one goes off at lower odds come Oaks Day.