The IND Oaks (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
IND- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
July 9, 2022

It’s a rare opportunity for IND to see some action, as the track plays host to both the IND Derby and the IND Oaks. Here, we will take a look at the Oaks, which draws a field of five fillies, three of which did noteworthy action on the “Derby” side of things during the spring. This will be the tenth time that the race has been run in our virtual world, and has seen the likes of Hydro, Z Command, and Precise Performance all win in the past. Last year, it was Smokey Stover’s turn to win the race, earning a victory with Sensual Eruption. It would be the final time that the filly would win, and she has since moved on to the shed. Here’s the field for this year’s race!

#1- Royal Oil (South Shore Stables, ridden by T Kennedy)- Interesting horse in this field, given that she has not run since the day after Christmas. On that day, she won a stake at the free track, which was the second of two wins in a row. That would seem good, but you have to wonder why she has been idle for so long since we know the trainer has been plenty active this year. Whatever the reason, the decision has been made to bring her back to the track, and for her graded debut.

#2- Angelic (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by U Rispoli)- Following her debut race, this filly has never failed to hit the board, doing so in nine straight races. However, six of those saw her finish third. That’s where she finished in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes, the $300.000 SUN Oaks, and a pair of $127.000 allowances in her last two starts. The last time she won, it was in November, when she captured the $100.000 Key Cents at AQU against NY-breds. This is a good field, but I just have a feeling that just maybe, she is due.

#3- Say Bye Bye (Arindel, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- After finishing second in the SUN Oaks, Say Bye Bye did not have much time to rest, as twelve days later, she was entered into the BG Stakes, a Grade 1 against the boys. It’s a throw out, but finishing dead last, and losing by thirteen lengths was a cruel way for the game to tell the trainer that it wasn’t a good idea to run her there. Now, she’s had about three months of rest, much needed rest. I’m not a fan of her work on June 8th, but there can be many reasons for that.

#4- Shadow Police (Smokey Stover, ridden by G Corrales)- The first four races of the year for Shadow Police came against the boys, and she initially did well against them, winning both the Lecomte and the Rebel before finishing second in the AR Derby. That would get her a much deserved chance to run in the KYD, but she would struggle in the race. Now, she is back to running against fillies but did not impress last month in the Acorn. If she struggles here, the doubts of how much the weight allowances were helping her before will get louder.

#5- Present Tense (Mb Stables, ridden by R Gutierrez)- When I see you two weeks in a row, you get a cut and paste. This will be her first race since running in the KYO, and she is glad the past tense is used for that one. It was an unusually poor showing for a horse that surprised many when she won the Holy Bull in February. Also had a strong juvenile campaign, with two wins in the FL Sire Stakes that are contested in the summer. If the KYO is a blip on her resume, she can handle this field just fine. So, now after being scratched from the DEL Oaks in a mass Mb scratch off last week, she gets her chance to run here, and looks good.

Prediction: 2-5-3-4

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES