Favored Gamine Draws Post 5 for Kentucky Oaks

Nine passed the entry box for the Sept. 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), but the focus during the draw Aug. 31 was clearly on the top two choices: Gamine and Swiss Skydiver. Gamine (even money on the morning line) drew post 5 and Swiss Skydiver (8-5) will be asked to break from the rail.

The Oaks, worth $1.25 million and run for 3-year-old fillies at nine furlongs, will go as Race 12 on a 13-race program at Churchill Downs. Both the Oaks and the following day's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) were delayed from the first weekend in May to Labor Day weekend due to COVID-19. The four-month swing has allowed for 3-year-olds to develop more form … and the form for the top two has been incredibly strong.

Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine has been brilliant sprinting—winning the one-mile Longines Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park and seven-furlong Longines Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course—while Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver has proved worthy around two turns, most recently with a monster win in the 10-furlong Alabama Stakes (G1).

Gamine is trained by Bob Baffert, a three-time Oaks winner with Silverbulletday (1999), Plum Pretty (2011), and Abel Tasman (2017).

"I like (post) 5," Baffert said. "Being in the middle is always good. Right now the most important thing is that she ships well, that she relaxes, gets in there and breaks well. She's training really well. We still have a few more hurdles, I'm happy with that spot."

A striking daughter of Into Mischief —Peggy Jane, by Kafwain, Gamine was bred by Grace Thoroughbred Holdings. A $220,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale graduate, she was a standout $1.8 million purchase by Petersen at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Donato Lanni signed the ticket.

She had plenty to prove at that price and has finished first in all four of her starts. Her lone start around two turns came at Oaklawn Park where she was a neck ahead of Speech at the end of 1 1/16 miles, but was later disqualified for failing a post-race drug test. Her connections are appealing that disqualification.

Gamine returned to one-turn racing and has been brilliant, winning the Acorn by 18 3/4 lengths and the Test by seven. She earned 117 and 111 Equibase Speed Figures, respectively. Swiss Skydiver, Speech, and Donna Veloce are the only others in the field that have posted a triple-digit ESF.

John Velazquez, aboard for Gamine's past two blowout victories, will be aboard for the Kentucky Oaks. She has been the frontrunner in all four wins, but Baffert did not commit her to the lead in pursuit of the lilies.

"You know, I'll leave that up to Johnny (Velazquez)," he said. "It depends on how she breaks. But she's really quick. She's really quick away from there. She's just fast, she's really fast. I'm not even thinking about that though, right now. We're just focused on getting there, getting settled in, handling everything well. We still have a long way to go."

Swiss Skydiver's last six starts have been around two turns and the daughter of Daredevil  has won four of the last five. Her lone defeat came to Art Collector when second against the boys July 11 in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. It was 4 3/4 lengths back to third-place finisher Rushie at the end of nine furlongs.

Callahan paid $35,000 for her from Select Sales at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Bred by WinStar Farm, she is out of the Johannesburg mare Expo Gold. Her victory in the June 6 Santa Anita Oaks (G2) came from post 1.

Tyler Gaffalione will ride Swiss Skydiver in the Kentucky Oaks.

"Tyler is a great jock and we'll probably let him do his thing," McPeek said. "From the inside, we'll let her run to the first turn. It only takes one horse to get off a little awkward to change everything.

"It's a tough race to win," he said. "I learned that with Take Charge Lady. She was 8-5 here years back (2002) and got upset by Farda Amiga. There's no guarantees, but my filly is doing super."

Both fillies will have to do super to win. There will strong support for others such as Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stable's Speech (5-1), a three-length winner of the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland; Kaleem Shah, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Donna Veloce (15-1); and July 8 Indiana Oaks (G3) winner Shedaresthedevil (20-1), another daughter of Daredevil.

Entries: Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1)

Churchill Downs, Friday, September 04, 2020, Race 12

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $1,250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Swiss Skydiver (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	Kenneth G. McPeek	8/5
2	2Tempers Rising (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	121	Dallas Stewart	50/1
3	3Donna Veloce (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	121	Simon Callaghan	15/1
4	4Speech (FL)	Javier Castellano	121	Michael W. McCarthy	5/1
5	5Gamine (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	Bob Baffert	1/1
6	6Bayerness (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Cherie DeVaux	50/1
7	7Shedaresthedevil (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Brad H. Cox	20/1
8	8Hopeful Growth (KY)	Manuel Franco	121	Anthony R. Margotta, Jr.	30/1
9	9Dream Marie (KY)	Joseph Talamo	121	Matthew J. Williams	50/1