The CCA Oaks (Grade 1)- $300.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
July 23, 2017

Whispering Nurse wasted no time showing everyone that she was the horse to beat today. Heading into the race, it appeared as though we had an exciting three horse battle in store between our five participants, and none of those three would disappoint in this race. Whispering Nurse has been a part of the D J C Racing Stables barn throughout her racing career, and the trainer has ended up with quite a return on his initial $20.000 private sales investment when she was still an unraced two year old last June. While K T D was winning the KYO, Whispering Nurse scored a win on the undercard that day, in the Grade 2 Eight Belles, and has now won three of her last four races. She isn’t being silent anymore, this filly is absolutely on the BC radar now, if she was not already. For D J C Racing Stables, it is his first win in the CCA Oaks, while jockey I Ortiz Jr wins it for the second time, and does so in back to back years, having ridden Dirty Deeds to victory last year. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:48.55, the third quickest running of the stake when it was run here at the Spa. Let’s take a look at it!

(½ Mile- :48.61)- Breaking quickly out of the gate were the two fillies to the inside. Whispering Nurse looked sharp right from the get-go for D J C Racing Stables, but she would have some company to her inside as Watch Me Now (Nolespan Racing) was also set on getting out to the front. These two pulled away from the rest of the field in the front stretch for the first time by about three lengths, and this carried on into the opening turn. As the field began to move into the backstretch, Watch Me Now would be the one in front, with Whispering Nurse showing her to the outside. The rest of the field was not as ambitious in the early going. Toleration was third for Mb Stables, sitting back by about three lengths and certainly in a good position to strike. Fake Chow (M.b.o. Racing Stable) ran to her inside while along the rail. Then as many expected, K T D trailed the field for Aer Stables, but the notorious closer seemed to be in a great spot, given her running style, only four and a half lengths from the lead.

(Six Furlongs, 1:12.33)- We had some excitement as the field made their way down the backstretch. About halfway into it, Whispering Nurse would be even with the frontrunner Watch Me Now. The Nolespan Racing filly would not allow Whispering Nurse to get by without a fight, but our eventual winner would take over the top spot as we hit the top of the turn. Watch Me Now remained within a length in second. Behind them, we did not see much movement, as the third place Toleration pulled away from Fake Chow a little bit, but still had a little over two lengths to make up. Fake Chow held her own while to the inside, but did not look like she had a move to the front coming. At the back, K T D trailed by four lengths, which seemed very reasonable for her to make up.

(Top Of Stretch- 1.7F To Go)- Impressively, Whispering Nurse looked like she might be getting away from them as they hit the top of the stretch here at SAR, but anything could be possible at this race track. Her lead had grown to over a length on Watch Me Now, who was still hanging in there ahead of everyone else at this point. We were looking for Toleration to maybe be a little closer at this point, but that nagging two length deficit she had right from the gate, it seemed, was still the case. Fake Chow was still running with the field, and was fourth, but appeared to be lacking spark, overall. It would be time for K T D to kick it gear now. On exit of the turn, she still was back by four, but had her lane all lined up and was all ready to make her charge.

(Finish- 1:48.55)- Ever so gracefully, Whispering Nurse sailed to the win in the stretch. She had left the field behind, and there was no that was going to get her. This can be filed away in the “never any doubt” category for the stretch run. I Ortiz Jr could ride her easily to the wire. K T D did get up for second, but there was never a point in time that it looked like she was about to catch Whispering Nurse. Toleration is third, gaining only a half length herself in the stretch on the winner. Fake Chow just got by the late tiring Watch Me Now for fourth.

About The Winner: Whispering Nurse, trained by D J C Racing Stables and ridden by I Ortiz Jr, is a three year old filly by Catch A Rising Star, and out of Outlaw Angel. She was bred in Ontario as a yearling by Sarah Stables, and sold unraced in private sales to D J C Racing Stables in June 2016 for $20.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win was her fifth in nine career starts, and the third in four starts. It is her second graded stake win, and first Grade 1. Her career earnings are now $499.780.

Track: Fast
Time: :48³  1:12¹  1:36¹  1:48²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 3 Paid 22.90
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 3 – 5 Paid 47.80

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES