SA Oaks (Grade 1) (KYO)- $400.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
April 9, 2016
The SA Oaks is one of four huge prep races on Saturday for the KYO. All four races have 100 points ready to be awarded to the winner, and at the conclusion of the day we will have a very clear picture of what the KYO field will look like, as there is only one prep, which is a small one, after that. A field of nine heads to SA for the 12th running of this event. The SA Oaks winner has never won the KYO, but on four separate occasions, it has produced the runner up in that race. The most notable past winner of the race, however, simply did not opt for the Oaks. That would have been the great Mrs Bombastic who, after winning this race in 2010 when it was held in March, went on to win the AR Derby in April for Blushing Meadows. What she did after that is one of the greatest moments, perhaps, in the history of the game, as she went to the PRK and would ultimately prevent Five Fives from winning the Triple Crown by a head. More recently, last year’s winner, Google Maps of Aml Racing, passed on the race in favor of the Black Eyed Susan at PIM over PRK weekend. She continues to know the perfect route to the winners circle, and recently won the Grade 1 Santa Margarita. Those in this field would love to see their filly become another Mrs Bombastic, but would certainly settle to follow the hoofsteps of Google Maps. Here are our runners!
#1- Check My Scene (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux) (0 KYO Points)- One of three brought to the SA Oaks, Check My Scene is certainly arriving at a scene that is far more grand then anything she has seen before. She has just one win in two starts, taking a four-horse LA-bred maiden race just two weeks ago. The trainer certainly believes highly in her after that race to thrust her into this field. A work here on the 26th of February suggests she may have what it takes, but this is still a tough assignment. If nothing else, she may be a new contender to the one starting next to her in LA-bred races in the future.
#2- Minda (Royalty Racing, ridden by R J Albarado) (0 KYO Points)- This filly has been at home running in Louisiana. Impressively, given the state of our virtual world’s inability to fill statebred races, eight of her eleven career starts have been with the LA-bred condition. And by the way, she has won six of them, five of which were stakes with purses at $100.000 or above. So, she knows how to find her way to the front. The three non statebred races she has been include two attempts in Grade 1’s, but she has never been able to hit the board. It looks like she has shown improvement in mile works since then, though, and she should be a strong threat here.
#3- Call Me Lucky (Mb Stables, ridden J R Velazquez) (10 KYO Points)- She may want to be called lucky, but she has also been very good in her prior career races. She has won two of them, but has hit the board in all but her debut race. The wins came in a maiden event and an allowance, though she has had some close calls in three ungraded stakes. Most recently, just three weeks ago, she went to the SUN Oaks, and was third behind dead heating winners. Call Me Lucky looks like a filly that will be at her best when these races get longer. If she can get into the Oaks, she could pose a real threat to the leading candidates.
#4- I Can Dance (Alydar Stables, ridden by T C Baze) (0 KYO Points)- I Can Dance has not been able to strut her stuff on the big stage until very recently. As a member of the Williams9 barn, she was raced very conservatively until Alydar picked her up in a private sale for $35.000. Her first race running in her new silks did not go well, but in her last start she was fairly impressive, though went for a $28.000 claiming tag in the process. In the last month, Alydar Stables has certainly stumbled on something to raise his confidence in her to bring her up from claiming races and immediately into the KYO trail.
#5- Rock Out Loki (Ollieland, ridden by E Nicasio) (0 KYO Points)- The pride of the Ollieland stable has a chance to give her trainer their first graded win in stable history, and this is a long time player that goes back to 2004. That alone will make her a fan favorite of many and a potential great story. In three starts, she has won two and is coming off a win in the $100.000 NM Breeders Oaks in her last start. Don’t dismiss that race, because there was a BC runner in the field (Broomstick Is Yummy). She earned a strong 92 SRF for the race, which puts her right with everyone else. Rock Out Loki may just get it done for her trainer.
#6- Command And Conquer (Blushing Meadows, ridden by R Bejarano) (50 KYO Points)- Fresh off a win in the Santa Ysabel Stakes, Command And Conquer looks to pick up another victory at the same race track, and she should be considered the favorite in this race. Heading into the Santa Ysabel, you could have fairly wondered if she had what it took with just one win in two starts, but this filly absolutely proved that if the talent is there, horses can make that job without a problem. After all, she didn’t just win the race, she won in an HRP-rout of three lengths. She has comes from impressive bloodlines (and it’s not just the one you gather from her name), and has the ability to rise to the occasion. Command And Conquer also looks like one that will be better as the races get longer, so watch out for her going forward.
#7- Hot Seller (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr) (14 KYO Points)- After finishing second in her debut race, Mb Stables took the approach of thrusting her into graded company right away. That didn’t work out, so the trainer wisely took care of breaking the maiden in the next start, before putting her into a couple of KYO point-earning races. Thanks to her performances in the Busanda and Busher (2nd and 3rd respectively), she has some points in her back pocket for this race. Hot Seller can be a threat, but to top the favorites here, she is going to have to be a tick quicker then she was in those ungraded races at AQU.
#8- Mint Condition (Australia Wide, ridden by J J Castellano) (0 KYO Points)- The Quench filly started her career with two second places finishes before finally breaking through and getting a win in her most recent start. Against MSW company right here at SA at this same distance, Mint Condition went wire to wire against her rivals, and won in an HRP-rout of three lengths. The time and speed figures for that race point to her being competitive, but this still a tough jump. However, if she needs any motivation, all she needs to do is look at Command And Conquer a couple of posts down to see a filly that pulled pretty much the same thing off last month. I like Mint Condition as one of the favorites here.
#9- Heart Nebulae (SamIam, ridden by J J Hernandez) (0 KYO Points)- There are similarities between this filly and Mint Condition in what they are trying to do, condition wise. However, Heart Nebulae only recently started racing against tougher company. She broke her maiden by destroying a field at TUP in January, though it was the race after that which is bringing her here. In that, which is also her most recent start, she went to PRX and wired the field. Among those she beat that day is Reverse Process, who is running in the Gazelle Saturday. Building off that would go a long way here.
Prediction: 6-8-5-2
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
