SA Oaks – Grade II [KYO]
SA Race #17 1 1/16m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $300.000 For Fillies Three Years Old.

As the boys battle it out for KYD qualification so the girls do the same for the KYO. In some ways I find the Oaks races enjoyable, not only because they tend to be contested by a wider range of players but because these are the broodmares of the future.
Here is how they line up:

1 Radio Ruffian TwinTowersRacing Pennington F 122 —

Her record isn’t splattered with big race wins but she has been against the best for most of her short life and has accounted for herself well enough to have a chance here off the ace draw. She seems best from the stalk, and she will get every chance from here and whilst she may have to find a length on recent form, she is with the right trainer to do that in a big race.

2 Decimas Queen Maxmillion Farm Garcia Mar 122 —

The turf king gets sneaky here bringing a daughter of Decima who was just building a grass resume to contest her first dirt race since her debut. With a 1.36 and 3 work over the mile it looks like she may have been taken to the turf a little hastily and in the perfect gate here for her running style I think she may be sneaking under the radar a little.

3 Placebo D J C Racing Stables Ferrer J C 122 —

The winner of five from nine saw the trainer who has been spending their early success pick her up for a very reasonable $75.000 from her breeder Panionios Racing. Considering it was her first route, I think she did OK in the SUN Oaks when taken back from a wide draw and making ground through the straight. Whatever she does today, I feel she may have been a bargain.

4 Chai Lies Keith Austin Inc. Lanerie C J 122 —

Good to see the trainer having a go here and she isn’t out of this with a decent draw. I liked the way she battled to win the Untappable Stakes, but she may have been tripped up by off tracks in her last two which halted her progress somewhat. She does need to find some improvement to get into the finish, but it wouldn’t be a total shock if she did.

5 Hit Squad Saratoga Stud Gaffalione T 122 —

This trainer knows what it takes and has a decent filly here going on her strong fourth in the Busher. She is another that has ability, we just don’t know how much, but this is the only way to really tell, by throwing her into the deep end. Maybe a wet track will see her best chance as she seemed to enjoy it in her last race, but she is one that will love the trip and there is no reason she won’t be in the top five.

6 Lille Smokey Stover Centeno D E 122 —

It is rather hard to tell a good one these days from works alone as every allowance winner from here to Fonner seems to be able to work the same times and horses in grade ones. This is a good example, a nice sort and the winner of a maiden and allowance but nothing out of the ordinary until you notice the 1.36 and 3 work. The trainer certainly knows how to breed a good one and fillies are their specialty so whilst she may not look an obvious choice she must be given a chance.

7 Procomp Fractious Beschizza A 122 —

Hated the mud last time but was good in the Forward Gal before that and will have plenty of support to win this race. An on-speed type, the trip is a question mark again so that has to be taken on trust and if she can’t get the job done today, we may see her going back to sprinting again.

8 Wrong Farm Winning Link Stables Geroux F 122 —

Her running style seems to be her biggest barrier to success but when she gets it right or at least the race engine allows her to get it right, she can be pretty good. Second in the grade two Starlet as a two-year-old and a fast finishing fifth in the Honeybee she needs things to go her way to win but has the ability.

9 Rosi Paradise Stable Espinoza V 122 —

Who can blame the trainer for having a go as she has worked a very decent 1.10 and 4 but on the best of her form, she will still need to find something extra to win this. Another that seems best as a deep closer, that can work in these big fields, and I think she is better than a glance at her form says she is.

10 Line Of Flight D J C Racing Stables Elliott S 122 —

Key form lines here through the Las Virgenes and The Davona Dale she ran well in both those races and that sort of form certainly puts her right in this. The draw is tough but she seems fairly versatile with her positioning so it could work. Her six-furlong works are stronger than her mile work recently so I do worry about the trip a little but she managed the mile OK so it shouldn’t be a factor today unless the race engine sends her out in 22 second splits.

11 Sitting Bulls Champ Mb Stables Hernandez R M 122 —

Even though the Mb runner is sitting in the car park she may well still start favorite on the strength of her form. Of course, her works are about the same as everything else, so they are no help, but she is grade one placed from a wide draw and was pretty good in the Busher last time. The stable is worth a length and that may be a telling factor.

SUMMARY

A tough little race to work out as there is no real stand out form. For that reason, I will go hunting for odds with Decimas Queen as the winner with the DJC runners chasing her home and Hit Squad and Sitting Bulls Champ ready to spoil the party.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES