The Oak Leaf is a Kentucky Oaks 2027 points race for 2-year-old fillies, while the American Pharoah is a Kentucky Derby 2027 points race for 2-year-olds. Both races also serve as important tests for horses looking to run in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland later this month.
Race 3 — Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes
The Oak Leaf Stakes carries a $200,000 purse and will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The scheduled post time is 5:01 p.m. Eastern.
1 — Quattro Passi ( 5-2)
Quattro Passi is trained by Bob Baffert and is a $190,000 daughter of Girvin, with Blame as her damsire.
She finished second in her debut, with stablemate Holmby beating her that day. Quattro Passi came back in her second start and romped by more than nine lengths under Mike Smith.
She has drawn outer posts in both of her first two starts but gets the rail here, which should allow her to save ground.
The most encouraging part of her form is her final-time-rating progression. She improved from a 113 in her debut to a 122 in her second start. She also improved while stretching from five furlongs to six furlongs.
Now she’ll have to stretch out again, going from sprint distances to a route, but the improvement pattern is encouraging.
2 — Holmby (9-5)
Holmby is another Baffert trainee and is a $55,000 daughter of Corniche, with Lemon Drop Kid as the damsire.
She won her first two starts, including the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes. She progressed from five furlongs to six furlongs and then seven furlongs before finishing third in the Debutante at Del Mar.
That last race was disappointing, as she was beaten by a little less than eight lengths.
Her final-time ratings also aren’t moving in the right direction. She went from a 120 in her debut to 119 and then 105.
The pedigree suggests she can handle the distance, but at a 9-5 morning-line price, she may take more money than her recent form warrants.
3 — Domain Expansion (20-1)
Domain Expansion is trained by Leonard Powell and is coming off a runner-up finish in her debut at 20-1.
The interesting factor here is that she already has experience around two turns, having raced one mile on turf.
She’ll switch surfaces for this race, however, and remains a maiden.
She earned a 63 Fire Number, 120 CPR and 105 final-time rating last time.
The question is whether she can transfer that turf form to the main track.
4 — Free Closer (6-1)
Michael McCarthy trains Free Closer, with Joel Rosario scheduled to ride.
Her form has been inconsistent. She won her debut, was beaten by about a dozen lengths in her second start, won the CTBA Stakes by eight lengths, and then was beaten by 10 lengths in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante.
Her two best races came at her shortest distances — four-and-a-half and five-and-a-half furlongs. Her two longer races, at six and seven furlongs, resulted in double-digit defeats.
That makes the 1 1/16-mile distance a significant question mark.
