DMR Oaks (Grade 1)- $300.000 Purse
DMR- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
August 16, 2025
Out west on Saturday, we will have the 22nd running of the DMR Oaks, which is a Grade 1 for three-year-old fillies on the turf. The race has been a Grade 1 since its inception here, and has seen it’s purse range between $250.000 and $400.000 in that time, though the present $300.000 is the most common amount. When I looked at this field, I found it to be very interesting in that you can make a case that all of these are a bit unknown right now but all seem to have the potential to become not only good, but great horses within this division. Last year, Supine grabbed the win in a tight photo for Team 7 Illusions. It seemed to be her last great run, as she only made four starts afterwards and is now retired. Seven take part in the race this year, let’s take a look at them:
1- Fierce Competitor (Mb Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- This People Pleaser filly has spent a lot of her career running in ungraded stakes, with her best performance in such a race being second in February at the Sweetest Chant. That result sent her to her lone graded appearance, which did not go well. More recently, Fierce Competitor has been an allowance horse. Her SRF’s are not as good as others here, but if any trainer can get them to improve, this is the one.
2- Infiltrate (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Won two of her first four races, and that sent her into the stakes ranks. Initially, the results were not all that great, but in looking at her last two efforts, she has been able to turn the corner and seems to be knocking on the door of a stake win. Two back, she was second in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes, then six weeks ago was third in a three-way photo for the win here at the Boiling Springs Stakes.
3- Misty Rain (Royalty Stables, ridden by E J Zayas)- In late June, Misty Rain broke her maiden at CD in what was her sixth career start. She had been running well, so the trainer was confident once she got over that hump to run her in the Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes three weeks later. She didn’t beat anyone that day, but still earned a 96 SRF in the race. Off of that, the trainer remains confident to run her in a Grade 1, and she should not be disregarded.
4- Chilukki (Pan Farms, ridden by A A Gallardo)- This will be the turf debut for Chilukki, a horse that has done nothing but disappoint as a three-year-old. Pan Farms spent $337.500 to get her a year ago, and had a couple of promising results with her as a two-year-old, but this year has been a flop. Now, comes the turf start, and based on how she worked here on Sunday, it may be well overdue. She should like this surface change, and is a very intriguing option in this field.
5- United Knightley (Saratoga Stud, ridden by F Prat)- We saw her just three weeks ago, when she ran in the Grade 3 Lake George at SAR, coming from behind to win. She did not have a lot of time to celebrate as she heads across the country to pick up another one, and she seems promising in this field. She had three straight runner ups before the Lake George, so we know that she likes the type of race conditions that she attempts here. No reason to be worried about the short turnaround, since prior to the Lake George, she had two months of rest.
6- Risky Valuation (Spb Racing, ridden by A Fresu)- With Infiltrate, we mentioned that three-way photo finish at the wire in the $100.000 Boiling Springs. It was Risky Valuation that came out on top in that photo. After the victory, the filly made her way up to SAR to run in the Lake George, where the only one to beat her was United Knightley. So far, she has not been a risky horse to put money on, as she hit the board in all eight of her races, and I don’t see a reason for concern with the short turnaround after the Lake George.
7- Ailin (Royalty Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- When the Grade 3 Matchmaker was run here last month, Misty Rain was not the only Royalty Stables filly to be entered off of breaking her maiden. Ailin was as well, winning impressively by two lengths at WO before heading here. Unlike her stablemate, Ailin picked up the victory in the Matchmaker, and now the question is whether or not she can stay hot. I like the way she worked at SAR at the start of the month and could very well be a superstar in the making in this division. A little too early to tell on that, but a win here would certainly be an affirming statement to that.
Prediction: 7-5-6-4
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES