Going Global Heads Field of 11 in American Oaks

Traveling to a different continent has indeed worked out quite well for the rather aptly named 3-year-old filly Going Global .

While racing as a 2-year-old in Europe, the daughter of Mehmas  was fourth, 12th, and 13th in her first three starts. Then, when she was shifted to a synthetic surface to close out her 2-year-old season, she was victorious in a $13,000 race at Dundalk Racecourse in Ireland that was called the Join Us On Instagram Handicap.

Following that humble start in Europe, some new and foreign horizons ignited an amazing turnaround.

Bought by American connections and sent to trainer Phil D'Amato, the Irish filly who went global turned into an international success story as Going Global blossomed into a premier American 3-year-old female turfer.

Bred by N. Hartery, she won her Feb. 14 U.S. debut and kept on rolling. Now with a slate of six wins in seven American starts, Going Global will close out her 3-year-old campaign Dec. 26 by running in the $300,000 American Oaks (G1T) at Santa Anita Park and chasing her second grade 1 win.

One of three grade 1 stakes on the opening day of The Great Race Place's winter meet, the American Oaks attracted a large field of 11 3-year-old fillies with Going Global the clear standout.

A winner of her first four starts in the U.S. for the ownership group of CYBT, Michael Dubb, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig, and Ray Pagano, she then saw her winning streak snapped with a second-place finish as a 2-5 favorite in the July 24 San Clemente Stakes (G2T).

Since then she rebounded with wins in the Del Mar Oaks (G1T) and Goldikova Stakes Presented by PNC (G2T) to improve her career record to seven wins in 11 starts with earnings of $648,792.

Though Sunday's 1 1/4-mile stakes will mark her first try beyond 1 1/8 miles, her 3-for-3 record at 1 1/8 miles and a late-running style bode well for her chances at a new distance of 1 1/4 miles.

D'Amato also starts CYBT, Michael Nentwig, Ray Pagano's Burgoo Alley , whose three wins have come at a mile or shorter.

"I think they're a nice one-two punch for me," D'Amato said. "I don't see distance being an issue for either of them. Both have been keeping good company throughout the year, and this is our year-end goal, so hopefully they can run one-two.

"I'm happy with how both of them are training and we've been looking at this race for a while. They're ready to go."

The Persistency Award in the field goes to Harris Farms' homebred Closing Remarks , who has already faced Going Global three times and finished second to her each time.

"She's our little blue-collar girl," trainer Carla Gaines said.

The daughter of Vronsky  faced Going Global in the China Doll Stakes, Providencia Stakes (G3T), and Del Mar Oaks and lost by a combined two lengths in those three tries with an asterisk attached to two of them. Out of the Unusual Heat  mare Orange Cove, the California-bred lacked room turning for home in the Oaks and stumbled at the start of the Providencia.

"We had some unlucky trips to get beat by Going Global, who I believe is one of the best, if not the best, 3-year-old filly on turf. But we're going to give it another whirl," Gaines said. "It's been one thing or the other when we faced her."

She also had a rough trip in her last start when she traveled east for the Oct. 16 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Dixiana (G1T) at Keeneland when she was ninth and last and forced to rally six-wide while finishing sixth on the kind of yielding turf that horses rarely encounter in California.

"She didn't take to the super-soft ground in Kentucky and had a bad post (9) and blah, blah, blah," Gaines said, "But we gave her a freshening and she's doing really, really well. We have confidence in her and we're excited about running her and looking forward to it."

The frequent flyer award belongs to Fluffy Socks , who is based in New York with trainer Chad Brown but will be making her third start in a California graded stakes. Bred by owner Sol Kumin out of the surprisingly successful New York-based stallion Slumber  , she was third in the Del Mar Oaks and won last year's Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) in her last two trips west which brought her to Del Mar.

Racing under the banner of Kumin's Head of Plains Partners, the Kentucky-bred is coming off a victory in the Sands Point Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park. She has won four of 10 starts with three seconds and a third for earnings of $430,880.

The field also includes an interesting duo from trainer Michael McCarthy in Katsumi Yoshida's Nicest  and Cheyenne Stable's Charges Dropped .

After starting her career in Europe, Nicest was fourth in the QE II Cup in her U.S. debut. The daughter of American Pharoah   was then third in the Red Carpet Handicap (G3T) at Del Mar. Charges Dropped, a Lemon Drop Kid  filly, runs in a graded stakes for the first time after posting two seconds and a third in three allowance races in her most recent starts.

Entries: American Oaks (G1T)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, December 26, 2021, Race 11

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Downhill turf
• $300,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:20 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Fluffy Socks (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Chad C. Brown	3/1
2	2Core Values (KY)	Abel Cedillo	124	Victoria H. Oliver	30/1
3	3Closing Remarks (CA)	Joe Bravo	124	Carla Gaines	6/1
4	4Nicest (IRE)	John R. Velazquez	124	Michael W. McCarthy	8/1
5	5Going Global (IRE)	Flavien Prat	124	Philip D'Amato	9/5
6	6Charges Dropped (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	124	Michael W. McCarthy	20/1
7	7Burgoo Alley (IRE)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	124	Philip D'Amato	6/1
8	8Ivy League (KY)	Kyle Frey	124	Richard E. Mandella	20/1
9	9Queen Goddess (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	Michael W. McCarthy	8/1
98	10Eddie's New Dream (CA)	SCRATCHED	0	UNKNOWN	-
10	11Single Soul (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Michael W. McCarthy	12/1