Queen Goddess Takes on Local Standouts in Bayakoa

California invader Queen Goddess , winner of the off-the-turf Dec. 26 American Oaks (G1) at Santa Anita Park, takes on a pair of two formidable Oaklawn Park stakes winners in Coach  and Mariah's Princess  in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) Feb. 12 for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 5, the Bayakoa was rescheduled following a bout of inclement weather at Oaklawn last weekend. All seven of those originally entered for Feb. 5 have remained on deck for Saturday's race.

Trainer Michael McCarthy said Queen Goddess arrived in Hot Springs, Ark., Feb. 1 after being flown via FedEx from California to Memphis and vanned approximately 190 miles.

"Little bit of a curveball with the weather," McCarthy said Feb. 8. "Not something we get much of out here in California. But the filly seems like she's doing well, even with the extended stay."

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and TOLO Thoroughbreds' Queen Goddess had never run on the dirt before her breakthrough black-type success in the American Oaks. Breaking on top in the American Oaks, the daughter of Empire Maker  grew wings over the main track, dictating the pace throughout and surging clear to a 2 3/4-length score. She earned a stout 107 Equibase Speed Figure for the effort.

Queen Goddess won't be able to skate away so easily from her rivals in the Bayakoa, as the opposing Mariah's Princess and Miss Bigly  also flash consistent early speed.

Queen Goddess will be piloted by jockey David Cabrera.

McCarthy said he considered keeping Queen Goddess at Santa Anita for the $100,000 Megahertz Stakes (G3T) at a mile on the turf Jan. 29 before opting to wait, keep Queen Goddess on dirt, and send her to Oaklawn.

"Nothing out here kind of made sense on the schedule," McCarthy said. "We gave some thought to the Megahertz. Her race on the dirt was so good in the American Oaks. Thought we would go back there and try our hand on that surface and if she adapted well to it, took well to it, obviously would give some thought to the Apple Blossom in the spring."

McCarthy won the 2020 Apple Blossom (G1) with Bo Hirsch's Ce Ce .

While she ran without Lasix in the American Oaks—the diuretic used to control respiratory bleeding is not permitted in stakes races in California—she will compete with it Saturday.

Coach and Mariah's Princess are each exiting stylish victories at Oaklawn. Kueber Racing's Coach splashed to the wire a three-length winner of the Jan. 8 Pippin Stakes, acing her second consecutive win since returning from a near eight-month layoff for trainer Brad Cox.

"Obviously, Coach loves Oaklawn," Cox said. "She's better than she's ever been."

Cox also runs Don Alberto Stable's Matera , runner-up last out in the Chilukki Stakes (G2) in the fall at Churchill Downs. She missed some training due to an illness earlier this winter at Oaklawn.

"But she's done extremely well once we got her back to the track and training. So we'll see where we are," Cox said.

Rigney Racing's Mariah's Princess, like Coach, is another that has notched two straight wins since a lengthy hiatus from the races. The Phil Bauer trainee cruised by 6 1/4 lengths in a Nov. 4 Churchill Downs allowance contest before rolling to a three-length tally in the Dec. 4 Mistletoe Stakes on opening weekend at Oaklawn.

Entries: Bayakoa S. (G3)

Oaklawn Park, Saturday, February 12, 2022, Race 8

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Matera (KY)	Florent Geroux	119	Brad H. Cox	3/1
2	2Miss Bigly (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	119	Philip D'Amato	9/2
3	3She's All Wolfe (OK)	Francisco Arrieta	119	Donnie K. Von Hemel	12/1
4	4Jilted Bride (FL)	Joel Rosario	119	Steven M. Asmussen	8/1
5	5Mariah's Princess (KY)	Martin Garcia	119	Philip A. Bauer	5/1
6	6Queen Goddess (KY)	David Cabrera	119	Michael W. McCarthy	3/1
7	7Coach (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Brad H. Cox	5/2