The past-performance information used in this analysis is provided by Today’s Racing Digest, whose Complete Digest product includes the speed, pace, and past-performance information used here.
The Dueling Grounds Oaks Field
1. Bless Her (15-1)
Bless Her is trained by Graham Motion and will have John Velazquez aboard. She was fourth of eight in the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks last time out at 14-1.
She is 2-for-7 overall, with a second and a third in addition to her two victories. One important consideration is her lasix history: her two wins and a nose defeat came when she was racing with lasix. She will not have lasix for this race.
Bless Her has enough tactical speed to potentially secure a forward position, particularly because this field doesn’t contain a confirmed front-runner.
2. Charm of Venice (20-1)
Charm of Venice is 20-1 on the morning line and will make her first start for trainer Brendan Walsh. Brian Hernandez Jr. gets the mount.
She won at 1 5/16 miles on soft turf in Ireland on June 20. The biggest question is where she fits from a class standpoint against this American group.
Walsh has had solid results with horses shipping in from overseas, so this is a horse worth keeping an eye on despite the lack of U.S. speed-figure data.
3. Haute Diva (10-1)
Haute Diva is trained by Patrick Biancone. She was sixth in the Grade 2 Beverly D. at Colonial Downs last time out, where she faced older fillies and mares.
That class drop back into a race restricted to three-year-olds could help. She earned a 131 final-time rating in that Beverly D. effort and previously posted a 134 on an all-weather surface in a stakes race.
She may need to improve slightly to win here, but the return to her own age group is encouraging.
4. Turner’s Charm (10-1)
Turner’s Charm is another Brendan Walsh trainee, with Ben Curtis returning to ride.
She missed by just a head in the Pucker Up Stakes at Ellis Park on August 2, rallying from off the pace in a 1 1/8-mile turf race. She earned a 135 final-time rating in that effort, an improvement over her previous numbers.
Her past performances suggest that longer distances have brought out her best. Her three longest races have also been her three best efforts, including victories at 1 1/16 miles and the strong second-place finish at 1 1/8 miles.
That makes the 1 5/16-mile distance particularly interesting.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
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