Shedaresthedevil in Good Form After Kentucky Oaks Win

The morning after Shedaresthedevil took the Sept. 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, her connections said the filly's longshot victory is still sinking in. 

"It was such an unbelievable day," said the filly's trainer, Brad Cox. "This filly has a ton of heart and (jockey) Florent (Geroux) gave her the perfect ride."

"I've had plenty of communication Sheikh Fahad and his team, David Redvers and Hannah Wall, who are currently in France," said Fergus Galvin, whose Hunter Valley Farm represents Qatar Racing Limited, one of three partners on the Daredevil  filly. "Sheikh Fahad is at his home in Newmarket but they're all ecstatic and they're in quite disbelief over the whole thing really." 

Galvin, along with Qatar Racing partners Stanton Flurry of Flurry Racing Stable and Autry Lowry Jr. of Big Aut Farms, were lucky enough to be one of a limited group of attendees on the grounds in Louisville, Ky., Friday when their flashy sophomore ran down a loaded field of talent to win the 146th running of the American filly classic. The final time for the 1 1/8-mile race was 1:48.28, smashing the previous stakes record of 1:48.64 set by Bird Town in 2003. 

"Realistically, we had thought that maybe a third-place finish would be fantastic for her with it being a race like the Kentucky Oaks," said Galvin. "But to beat the field she did yesterday—it's quite the outstanding effort. It still felt a little strange and a little eerily quiet but after the race, but I think everyone forgot about COVID-19 for at least an hour. It was very exciting." 

Sent off at odds of 15-1, Galvin said Shedaresthedevil's pattern of consistency in stakes company served her well in the Kentucky Oaks. He gave credit to Cox for his persistent faith in his runner despite the odds. 

"I know that some of the form pundits and experts had her where she had quite of bit of ground to make up on some of the leading contenders, but one person who really thought the world of her from an early stage was Brad," he said. "He has always been full for praise for her whether it's been about her workouts or races. He was probably the least surprised of everyone. Obviously he's a busy man this morning but he said that she came out of the race great and sound and appears good and healthy. It's just onwards and upwards from here." 

Trainer Kenny McPeek reported Saturday that runner-up Swiss Skydiver, who races for Peter Callahan, also looked well post-race despite having sustained some minor cuts on a front ankle. 

While next-race plans for his Alabama Stakes (G1) winner have not been decided, McPeek did make the case for the return of stallion Daredevil , who also sired his talented filly. The son of More Than Ready  was sold to the Turkish Jockey Club late last year after initially standing at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky.

"They need to get him back here," McPeek said. "He's a good stallion."

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert reported that Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine "looked great" and was in good order the morning after finishing third as the favorite in the Oaks. Winner of the seven-furlong Longines Test Stakes (G1), she set the Oaks pace before tiring while reluctant to change leads until midstretch.