San Felipe Stakes & Santa Ysabel Stakes 2020 Video Picks

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Report for 2-21-20 Featuring Finite

Juvenile filly champion British Idiom made her much anticipated 3-year-old bow in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Feb. 15, but Finite stole the show and is the new Kentucky Oaks 2020 favorite and points leader.

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The next Oaks points race is the Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park Feb. 29. Possible starters include Forward Gal (G3) winner Tonalist’s Shape, last year’s Demoiselle (G2) winner Lake Avenue, and Todd Pletcher’s romping debut winner Spice Is Nice.

There are some big changes to my top five Oaks fillies. Bast has been retired after soft tissue problem was detected in her right front ankle. In a sad turn of events, Taraz fractured her left front pastern in a workout at Oaklawn Park earlier this week, and had to be put down. 

Kentucky Oaks 2020 Points Race Recaps
Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) Recap (2-15-20) - Winner: Finite ($7.40)

This was the most important Oaks prep so far. 50 points to the winner and the Fair Grounds road to the Oaks is frequently the right path. Two-year-old filly champ British Idiom started her sophomore campaign in this spot, but Finite stole her thunder. His Glory went straight to the front from the rail as expected, and Ursula was in chase mode after a less than ideal start. Finite sat a comfortable stalking trip from the outside post, and edged closer on the backstretch and around the far turn. She took the lead in the lane and widened her advantage to 4+ lengths when all was said and done. British Idiom did not have the smoothest trip in her first start in 3+ months. She bumped and steadied into the first turn, and was racing wide heading into the backstretch. She settled in sixth place and moved up outside in the stretch. She found her best stride in the lane and was pulling away from the rest in a solid runner-up finish. Swiss Skydiver held 3rd by a neck over Tempers Rising. Impeccable Style and His Glory were next, and Ursula was the distant trailer. The top two finishers will most likely meet again in the Fair Grounds Oaks on March 21. 

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Kentucky Oaks Points Leaderboard (thru UAE Oaks 2-20-20)

70 Points: Finite

50 Points: British Idiom, Down On Da Bayou (UAE Oaks winner)

20 Points: Dubai Love (UAE Oaks runner-up)

12 Points: Donna Veloce

10 Points: Harvey’s Lil Goil, Lake Avenue, Lazy Daisy, Lucrezia, Serein, Swiss Skydiver, Tonalist’s Shape, Venetian Harbour, Wicked Whisper

7 Points: Tempers Rising

6 Points: Motu, Perfect Alibi

5 Points: Comical, Gingham

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Jarrod Horak’s Fabulous Five Kentucky Oaks 2020 Contenders (2-21-20)

#1 - DONNA VELOCE - BC Juvenile Fillies & Starlet runner-up worked 5f at LRC Feb. 20.  

#2 - FINITE - Ran winning streak to five in Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2).    

#3 - BRITISH IDIOM - Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) runner-up finish was first loss.

#4 - VENETIAN HARBOR - Romped in last pair including Las Virgenes (G2).

#5 - HARVEY’S LIL GOIL - Daughter of American Pharoah was sharp in Busanda Feb. 2.

Article by Jarrod Horak

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Blog: Bast Captures G1 Starlet

The Kentucky Oaks points race series for 2020 picked up steam with a pair of graded races on Dec. 7. Lake Avenue went all the way in the Demoiselle (G2), and Bast pulled off a wire job later that day at Los Alamitos in the Starlet (G1). Last week, Finite ran her winning streak to three in the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs. The Starlet was the final Oaks points race of the year. The next race on the docket is the Santa Ynez at Santa Anita Park on January 5. 

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Points Race Recaps

Golden Rod (G2) from Churchill Downs (11-30-19) - Winner: Finite ($3.60)

This dirt route at Churchill Downs was run in the slop. Bean and Lady Glamour battled on the pace, and strong favorite Finite sat in the right spot behind those two. Finite surged to the lead in the stretch and held off my 13-1 value top choice Motu. The latter made a sustained run from the outside post and was clearly second best in a strong effort. Lady Glamour was best of the rest in 3rd. She Can’t Sing was 4th, followed by Turtle Trax, His Glory, Bean, and Ivyetsu. 

Demoiselle (G2) from Aqueduct Racetrack (12-7-19) - Winner: Lake Avenue ($10.80)

Lake Avenue surprisingly controlled proceedings throughout from the outside post. She carved out the slowest fractions of the day on the main track, and just kept on going in an easy 4-length victory for Junior Alvarado and Bill Mott. The others really handed her the victory, and she was not the only wire-to-wire winner on the Cigar Mile Day program. The last five races on the main track were all captured in front running fashion. Slight betting favorite Maedean pounced from midpack and edged stalker Blame Debbie for the place, and presser Critical Value was another 1/2 length back in 4th. Water White was wide early from an outer post and ended up splitting the 10-horse field. My top choice Alandra was a flat 6th. I really thought she would get involved early, but she was just spinning her wheels and looked uncomfortable throughout. Glass Ceiling, Daphne Moon, Jara, and Miss Marissa completed the order of finish.   

Starlet (G1) from Los Alamitos (12-7-19) - Winner: Bast ($6.40)

This grade one route was contested over a good (sealed) main track. It looked like a match race on paper, and the two favorites put on a show. Bast drew post 2 and strong favorite Donna Veloce drew post 3, and that was key because Bast was able to make a short lead, and that slight edge propelled her to victory by a 1/2 length. Donna Veloce prompted the winner throughout but could never get past that one. She was at least twelve lengths in front of show finisher K P Dreamin. Gingham was 4th and Roadrunner’s Honor trailed. Before this event, Donna Veloce and Bast met in the BC Juvenile Fillies (G1), and both ran quality races that day. In just her second career start, Donna Veloce stalked, took the lead, and was run down late by likely 2-year-old filly champ British Idiom at Santa Anita on Nov. 1. Bast battled on the pace that day and tried hard throughout in a solid show finish (beaten less than two lengths).  

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Blog: BC Juvenile Fillies Recap

The Kentucky Oaks points race series for 2020 had it’s biggest stop year at Santa Anita Park on Friday, Nov. 1, and British Idiom locked up the Eclipse Award for top juvenile filly with a neck victory over Donna Veloce in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The next two points races are both on November 30 (Demoiselle at AQU and Golden Rod at CD).

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Points Race Recaps

BC JUVENLE FILLIES - Winner: British Idiom ($7.40)

The pace did not play out quite as expected. It was contested, and I landed on Bast because I thought she would sit the right stalking trip behind fast fractions. I was not expecting her to be dueling on the lead with longshot Two Sixty and third choice Wicked Whisper. Donna Veloce sat in the garden spot behind the three dueling leaders, and she got first run and took over in the stretch under Flavien Prat. She only had one sprint prep under her belt and her lack of seasoning cost her the win. British Idiom was able to save ground behind the speed, and with two starts and a grade one route win on her resume, she was able to wear down Donna Veloce to prevail by a neck. Bast just kept on trying all the way to the wire and was about two lengths behind the top pair. This was a big effort to finish 3rd for Bob Baffert’s filly. Her two pace rivals faded badly, and the final results could have looked quite different if she was able to stalk the pace. Donna Veloce put in a very big effort in just her second lifetime start. She has plenty of upside. British Idiom will almost certainly get the top juvenile filly award. Perfect Alibi was 4th, followed by Wicked Whisper, Lazy Daisy, Comical, K P Dreamin, and Two Sixty. The final time was a slow 1:47.07 on the deep, tiring main track. 

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Breeders' Cup 2019 Recap Video + Horses to Watch

Check out my Breeders' Cup 2019 video recap below!

Breeders' Cup Friday 2019 Video: 5 Horses Worth Betting

Check out my Breeders' Cup Friday 2019 video preview below! I look at one horse worth betting in each of the five BC Friday races at Santa Anita Park on 11-1-19.

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Breeders' Cup Juvenile & Juvenile Fillies 2019 Video Preview

Check out my BC Juvenile & Juvenile Fillies video preview for Today's Racing Digest.


 

Kentucky Oaks 2020 Blog: BC Juvenile Fillies Preview

The Kentucky Oaks points race series for 2020 got started with the Pocahontas (G2) Sept. 14, and was followed by the Chandelier (G1) Sept. 27, and I covered those races on my first Oaks blog Sept. 30. There were two more Oaks preps earlier this month. British Idiom was much the best in the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland, and Wicked Whisper controlled the pace in the Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park. The next points race is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita Nov. 1.

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Points Race Recaps

Alcibiades Recap (10-4-19) - Winner: British Idiom ($9.20)

The stalkers dominated this race. 64-1 outside Spitefulness set the pace and Sequin was in chase mode, but neither could stay the distance. British Idiom stalked those two, took over in the lane, and pulled well to to score by 6+ lengths under Javier Castellano. Perfect Alibi followed the winner throughout but could not keep pace with that one while well clear of the rest. Beaten favorite Alandra ran a deceptively good race. She lost all chance with a troubled beginning and was the only closer making any kind of a late run. She was near the back of the pack for the first half-mile, slowly began moving up, and made a long, sustained run to finish a clear 3rd. She went to the front in her debut and was expected to be close to the pace in this race, but had to change tactics after a bad beginning. Gone Glimmering stalked and got past Sequin for 4th, and they were followed by Three D Flag, Spitefulness, How Ironic, Micheline, Western Taffy, and Heir of Light. No doubt British Idiom was best, but Alandra is worth following and is not far behind that one on ability. Perfect Alibi had no excuses. The multiple graded sprint winner was unable to take advantage of her seasoning edge.

Frizette (G1) Recap (10-6-19) - Winner: Wicked Whisper ($7.90)

Wicked Whisper got loose again, and I have no idea how good she is. She did the same thing in her bow. At some point she will be challenged early, and we will learn more when that happens. At this stage, she is a quality one turn filly on the front end, and this was a suspect field. Joel Rosario was able to hustle the eventual winner to a clear advantage early, and she was never seriously threatened. Miss Marissa and Quality Response gave futile chase, and neither looked like strong contenders on numbers. Frank’s Rockette stalked outside and had every chance to make a race of it but was second best again. That’s three straight runner-up efforts in the graded ranks for the Bill Mott trainee, and she does not seem to be getting any better. Maiden Slam Dunk ended up 3rd, and she flattered Alandra if anything. Ice Princess passed tired rivals and was 4th, and my value top choice Daphne Moon stumbled at the start and never got involved. Miss Marissa and Quality Response trailed.

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Top 5: Bast, Donna Veloce

The Kentucky Oaks points race series for 2020 is officially off and running. Lazy Daisy won the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Sept. 14, and Bast captured the Chandelier Stakes (G1) for Bob Baffert at Santa Anita Park Sept. 27. The next points race is the Alcibaides (G1) at Keeneland Oct. 4, followed by Belmont’s Frizette (G1) Oct. 6.

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Kentucky Oaks 2020 Points Race Recaps

Pocahontas Recap (9-14-19) - Winner: Lazy Daisy ($16.40)

Serengeti Empress won this race by a mile last year. In the first Oaks points race, Lazy Daisy and His Glory basically battled from start to finish. In the end, it was California shipper Lazy Daisy prevailing by a hard fought length and a quarter. 43-1 longshot His Glory was clearly second best beaten favorite Portrait was miles best of the rest in 3rd. This was a very well-spaced field. Blood Curdling was 9+ back in 4th, and it was three more lengths to Morning Gold. Lotta Love was another five back in 6th place, and it was 12+ to Shadilee. The distant trailer was Addilyn. The winner completed her 8.5f journey in 1:44.89. If nothing else, she flattered runaway Del Mar Debutante (G1) winner Bast. For final time comparison, Dennis’ Moment traveled the same distance in the Iroquois (G3) in 1:43.58.

Chandelier Stakes (G1) Recap (9-27-19) - Winner: Bast ($2.40)

It was not easy but overwhelming favorite Bast got the job done, and I thought she ran well. The race shape completely changed after expected front runner Leucothea bobbled at the start and threw the rider. The pace really failed to develop after that, and Comical had a short advantage over Been Studying Her and Bast. There were three dirt routes on the day and this race by far had the slowest fractions (24.92, 49.54, and 1:13.98). Comical almost stole this one, but Bast pressed outside and got by the stubborn early runner to score by a neck. The top two were 3-lengths clear of K P Dreamin, and Been Studying Her was 15+ clear of Buyer’s Remorse. Bast remains my top ranked 2-year-old filly, and she looks like a solid threat in the BC Juvenile Fillies (G1).

Kentucky Oaks 2020 Points Leaderboard (after Chandelier)

1. Lazy Daisy - 10 points

1. Bast - 10 points

3. His Glory - 4 points

3. Comical - 4 points

5. Portrait - 2 points

5. K P Dreamin - 2 points

7. Blood Curdling - 1 point

7. Been Studying Her - 1 point

Jarrod Horak’s Fabulous Five Kentucky Oaks 2020 Contenders (9-29-19)

#1 - BAST - Early division leader after G1 wins in Del Mar Futurity and Chandelier.

#2 - DONNA VELOCE - Sensational in SA bow Sept. 28. The next Bellafina for Callaghan?

#3 - ALANDRA - Gritty 7f bow at SAR Sept. 1. Shug’s filly breezed at Belmont Sept. 28.

#4 - PERFECT ALIBI - Adirondack & Spinaway winner goes next in Alcibiades Oct. 4.

#5 - FRANK’S ROCKETTE - 2nd in Adirondack & Spinaway. Breezed at SAR Sept. 23.

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