Oaks 140
by Molly Jo Rosen
The Kentucky Oaks is so much more than just The Derby's Sister Race.
Year in, year out it's one of those amazingly tough handicapping puzzles we handicappers live to see.
And the 140th edition is no different!
The field...
1-Please Explain: DQ'd from win that put her on the map & was a last-minute addition to the field at entry time 2-Ria Antonia: which filly shows up ~ the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner or the one who threw the clunker in the G3 Rachel Alexandra 3-Sugar Shock: ultra-consistent speed 4-Rosalind: may not always be right there at the wire, but can be very game & is training fantastic 5-Thank You Marylou: first time v. tough company last out didn't go so well 6-Kiss Moon: 1/2 sister to a super talented filly & has proven she belongs in the exotics discussion 7-Fashion Plate: it doesn't get better than undefeated 8-Aurelia's Belle: always run her race 9-Unbridled Forever: her mama is the highest-priced Oaks winner in history & her lone bad effort came last out 10-Empress of Midway: making only her 4th career start & gallops with a lot of presence 11-My Miss Sophia: back-to-back daylight wins for Pletcher 12-Got Lucky: has some speed but lately has found 2nd-itis as a closer 13-Untappable: lost all chance in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies when that horse went down in front of her & was wheeled back too quick in the G1 Starlet ~ otherwise, she's been an absolute rockstar
Molly Jo's wagers: 13 - 4 - 6 - 3 - 2
One interesting training note... it's been really cool to watch Wayne Catalano school Aurelia's Belle in how to handle the crowd. There is a line of photographers on the backstretch rail and - during the Oaks/Derby break - the camera shutters sound like machine gun fire and can jar a nervous horse. Wayne walks the blinker-wearing filly up and down the rail, close enough to touch her nose to the cameras if she wants. He's done this every day this week and the filly has gotten noticeably more calm around all the noise. Whether it helps her with the massive crowd of 113,071 ~ that we don't know. But it's definitely a tactic most trainers don't think about.
The Kentucky Oaks is so much more than just The Derby's Sister Race.
Year in, year out it's one of those amazingly tough handicapping puzzles we handicappers live to see.
And the 140th edition is no different!
The field...
1-Please Explain: DQ'd from win that put her on the map & was a last-minute addition to the field at entry time 2-Ria Antonia: which filly shows up ~ the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner or the one who threw the clunker in the G3 Rachel Alexandra 3-Sugar Shock: ultra-consistent speed 4-Rosalind: may not always be right there at the wire, but can be very game & is training fantastic 5-Thank You Marylou: first time v. tough company last out didn't go so well 6-Kiss Moon: 1/2 sister to a super talented filly & has proven she belongs in the exotics discussion 7-Fashion Plate: it doesn't get better than undefeated 8-Aurelia's Belle: always run her race 9-Unbridled Forever: her mama is the highest-priced Oaks winner in history & her lone bad effort came last out 10-Empress of Midway: making only her 4th career start & gallops with a lot of presence 11-My Miss Sophia: back-to-back daylight wins for Pletcher 12-Got Lucky: has some speed but lately has found 2nd-itis as a closer 13-Untappable: lost all chance in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies when that horse went down in front of her & was wheeled back too quick in the G1 Starlet ~ otherwise, she's been an absolute rockstar
Molly Jo's wagers: 13 - 4 - 6 - 3 - 2
One interesting training note... it's been really cool to watch Wayne Catalano school Aurelia's Belle in how to handle the crowd. There is a line of photographers on the backstretch rail and - during the Oaks/Derby break - the camera shutters sound like machine gun fire and can jar a nervous horse. Wayne walks the blinker-wearing filly up and down the rail, close enough to touch her nose to the cameras if she wants. He's done this every day this week and the filly has gotten noticeably more calm around all the noise. Whether it helps her with the massive crowd of 113,071 ~ that we don't know. But it's definitely a tactic most trainers don't think about.
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