WO Oaks Stakes
1 1/8 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $500.000 Filly 3 Year Olds Foaled In Canada.
1st Love Mo Mentum Farm Geroux F
I was just writing about the runner up in the Canadian that had run over completely different trips and surfaces recently and still managed to hold her form and now in the very next race we get another example as this home-bred defied the odds to take the win. Turf sprints, dirt sprints, turf routes and now dirt routes the filly has cashed checks at them all and now adds her biggest prize to the bank. The discussion about how realistic that is for a SIM like this will be had another day but for now let’s celebrate this remarkable filly that only broke her maiden at the start of the year. She won the Alywow over six and a half on the turf last time so not many people believed she could beat some good dirt routing fillies today and without too many clues from her works you can forgive the punters for letting her go as the outsider of the field. She won however, in the end like a veteran at the trip and with 5 wins from her last six starts is starting to look like a real break out filly that could just pick off some good prizes at the end of this season.
2nd Eighteen Ninety Two Mo Mentum Farm Murphy O
The trainer had a great day and was rewarded here with a one two as this half-sister to the winner chased her stable mate home in game fashion. Like her sister she has been racing all over the place on both surfaces and trips, but this may have been arguably her best effort so far.
3rd Tactical Spin Alydar Stables Velazquez J R
The fact that she had chased home Credit Crime in both the Ashland and KYO made her the clear favorite here and to be fair nothing got near her form over the longer trips before the race. Her last start was a bit lack luster though and once again today she just didn’t stretch out at the end like we know she can. Whether it’s the HRP anomaly called the improvement curve or just that she peaked early in the year we don’t really know but her defeat here will give the trainer some food for thought.
4th Locked In Mb Stables Hernandez R M
Went hard early and still led with a furlong to run but folded inside the distance to end up fourth. To her credit she wasn’t beaten far so this was a good effort but nine furlongs off the front is a tough call even with the outside speed push. The trainer will be scratching his head as to where to go next with her, but I think this trip may just stretch her a bit far and we may see her over shorter next time.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded