The CCA Oaks – Grade I
SAR Race #8 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $500.000 For Fillies Three Years Old.

1 Electric Mischief Arindel Hernandez C J 122 —

After winning a State bred stakes as a two-year-old she was kept to lower-level overnights until March of this year when she took on stakes company again in the Bourbonette Oaks. Her great second certainly confirmed her ability on a wet track but also confirmed that she was climbing her improvement curve after a flat spot. She continued with a good fourth in the Gazelle and then a fine third in the Black Eyed Susan last time which is good lead up form for this race. She does have a bit to find though as far as I can see, she can get back a bit and she will have to run past some good horses to win this and I am not sure that she has convinced me she is ready for that yet.

2 Beautifully Grusome TwinTowersRacing Ortiz I Jr 122 —

She hasn’t won for a while which is a concern, but her works are in the ‘clone zone’ and she has shown enough to suggest she could be another one of those big-priced winners from the stable. She was uncharacteristically poor in the Acorn last time, but we know HRP can throw in those dud races for no good reason so if we go back to her previous efforts, she certainly isn’t far off these.

3 Scarlett Dream Arindel Davis D 122 —

The stable must be thrilled with the draw that their two runners got here, and this will certainly be one of the more fancied runners in a good field. Fourth in both the Acorn and The KY Oaks from horrible draws she ran beyond expectations with those handicaps after a very close second in the FG Oaks from this gate. We must not forget she is a grade one winning two-year-olds who placed in the BC and with over 1K in prize money is one of the more successful runners. Her works have never lived up to her race day form so ignore that and give this one a winning chance.

4 La Roo Our Athletes Van Dyke D 122 —

Dead Heated with Scarlett Dream when fourth in the KY Oaks from an almost as bad draw and proved she is still firing when winning the Summertime oaks last time out. This is a much-improved filly after a couple of ordinary races early in the year and if Scarlett Dream is one your win list, then this one must be too.

5 Ignore Tucker Fractious Elliott S 122 —

This looked like one of the big buys of the year when taken from its breeder for $1,200.000 after winning the Sorrento Stakes as a juvenile but has taken almost a year to win again and that was at overnight level last time out. It is easy to overlook her as lightening in a bottle, but she has run some good races in defeat, and it really wouldn’t take much of an improvement to see her win this.

6 I Want Alot Mb Stables Prat F 122 —

HRP can often be just about picking the fastest worker in a race of clones, so it is possible to give this one a chance when on paper she looks to have no hope. Taken from a maiden claimer early in the year she then was beaten less than a length in the SUN Oaks when still a maiden and finally won her maiden last time by six lengths. If this was in any other stable despite BC winning works you would overlook it straight away, but this is from a stable that has an almost other worldly way of turning ordinary looking horses into grade one winners. A winning chance, yes for sure…why…well that’s another story and one I may be writing after they cross the line.

7 Yow Royalty Stables Hernandez R M 122 —

Maybe it’s because she is not from one of the big stables but here is a filly that has proven herself again and again and still finds herself flying just a little under the radar. She backed up her narrow win in the KYO with a far more comprehensive win in the Acorn and has risen to the top of her division despite being given wider draws all year. I actually think that this one could end up as filly of the year as at this point, she has won two of the most significant races of her generation and a win today could well cement that position. A great winning chance but it is tough at HRP to run three grade ones in a row and win them all.

8 The Hateful Eight Smokey Stover Castellano J J 122 —

For a stable that has excelled in the female side of racing at HRP their entry may look a little underwhelming at first look but she is not out of it by a long way. A game second in the Selene last time she had been going through some educational races before that at overnight level and i feel this is her big test today. On paper she may have a bit to find but the stable is very good in these fillies and mares races.

9 Snake Island Night Mare Racing Garcia Mar 122 —

Want to know how hard it can be to weigh up HRP form, well after a fine nose second in the KYO from an impossible looking draw she then got beaten fair and square in an allowance from the ace draw by a filly that had never made top three in a graded stakes race. So follow which form you want, nearly a grade one winner or an allowance runner up but at the end of the day this one must go right in there with the other winning chances in the race.

10 Celine D J C Racing Stables Carmouche K 122 —

I actually have liked this filly for a long time and think she just needs a bit of luck to win a big race like this just as she did in the SA oaks. After that great win she went to the KYO where she was drawn the car park and still managed to get within the official margin of one length of the winner. Of course, with this being HRP that one length was the difference between first and twelfth, but her effort was huge. When she got given gate 4 in the Acorn last time, I thought that her time had come but try as she might she just could not get to the winner and was beaten just under a length into second behind Yow. I think she could reverse that form today if the race engine is kind to her and that could just about win the race if it is.

11 Queen Evade Party Maxmillion Farm Bocachica A 122 —

Drawn in the car park it could work for her if the race engine lets her drift back and the pace is hot because she has a great turn of foot and could run over the top of them. Having said that, the wide gate could decide to shoot her to the lead and who knows what will happen then. She hasn’t shown the sort of form that should win this yet, but I feel she is improving and has the ‘cone zone’ works, so if things go her way could spring a surprise.

SUMMARY

Well on form you would have to say Yow will be favorite to win which probably means the odds monkeys will have her at 50/1. Whilst she may well win and probably deserves to, I think Celine and Queen Evade Party may be worth a look from out wide.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES