Taraz in 'Great Order' After Martha Washington

Juddmonte Farms homebred Taraz answered one question in the Feb. 1 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park, but one obvious question remained unanswered roughly 15 hours later regarding the unbeaten 3-year-old filly.

What's next? Now that Taraz has proven she can handle two turns, trainer Brad Cox said he's simply not sure. He said she could remain at Oaklawn, return to Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, continue to run against fillies, or challenge males. 

"I thought about it last night and haven't really come up with a decision on what we're going to do yet," Cox said before training hours Sunday morning at Oaklawn. "And race-wise? Same thing."

Taraz, under regular rider Florent Geroux, was a comfortable 3 3/4-length frontrunning winner of the Martha Washington, the first of three local Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) points races.

A towering daughter of Into Mischief , Taraz is now 3-for-3 after winning two starts last year by a combined 18 3/4 lengths. She had no trouble stretching out for the first time in her 2020 one-mile debut. She was making her first start since an 11 1/4-length, gate-to-wire victory in the Letellier Memorial Stakes Dec. 21 at Fair Grounds.

"I thought she kind of got lost a little bit down the lane yesterday," Cox said. "I really do think she got lost. She's like, 'OK, I'm going around the second turn. What do you want me to do here?' She got something out of it, but it would have probably been better if there was somebody there kind of pushing her along a little bit. So we'll see. Obviously, we got the result that we wanted, and she did it well enough."

Cox said Taraz will be nominated to major Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) preps. Oaklawn's Oaks series continues with the March 7 Honeybee Stakes (G3) and the April 10 Fantasy Stakes (G3). Taraz earned 10 points for her Martha Washington victory toward a start in the Oaks at Churchill Downs.

"She came back good, so far," Cox said. "We're just walking her, obviously, but she appeared to check out of the race in great order last night and cooled out great and looked great. Everything looks good."

Cox also trains unbeaten British Idiom, the 2019 champion 2-year-old filly based at Fair Grounds.

Sweet as Honey?

Trainer Joe Sharp said Martha Washington runner-up O Seraphina will be pointed for the Honeybee Stakes next.

Making her first start since breaking her maiden Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds, O Seraphina finished 6 1/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher High On Gin in her stakes debut.

"We were over the moon, obviously, about how she ran against a filly like Taraz," Sharp said during training hours Sunday at Oaklawn. "The gallop out was very impressive. … I think, with what's thought to be the best 3-year-old in the country right now beating us, I thought she was very respectable in being defeated. It's not often we are really enthused about a second-place finish, but I would say this would be one of the exceptions."

Sharp said O Seraphina exited the Martha Washington in good shape. The Honeybee is the final major local prep for the Fantasy Stakes. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.