Former KY Governor Seeking Third Oaks Win
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Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones was at Keeneland the morning of April 17 and part of his mission was to check on Central Bank Ashland (gr. I) winner Lovely Maria and Fantasy (gr. III) winner Include Betty.
Jones is the sole owner of Lovely Maria and co-owns Include Betty with Tim Thornton, longtime farm manager at his Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky. Both fillies are likely to leave the Lexington track next week for Churchill Downs and the $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) May 1.
"My job at the Oaks will be to be in charge of cheering," said Jones, who won the 2008 Oaks with Proud Spell and the 2012 Oaks with Believe You Can. "I let the trainers train and the riders ride. You surround yourself with good people and good things generally happen."
Larry Jones trains Lovely Maria, a daughter of Majesticperfection , and also was the trainer of Proud Spell and Believe You Can. Tom Proctor trains Include Betty, a daughter of Include . Both stallions stand at Airdrie.
Lovely Maria after her Ashland win
Brereton Jones said his confidence level with his two fillies this year is similar to that of his two winning years.
"It is about the same," Jones said. "I had the belief that they had done all they could to get ready."
There are other similarities.
Proud Spell never had run at Churchill prior to the Oaks and used a third-place finish in the Ashland as a final Oaks prep. Lovely Maria has not run at Churchill but will have her final pre-Oaks work next weekend at the Louisville track as did Proud Spell.
Include Betty ran twice last fall as a 2-year-old at Churchill, finishing third and fifth.
Include Betty at Keeneland
"Believe You Can ran there the year before in the fall and didn't do too well," Jones said, noting the filly's sixth-place finish in the Pocahontas (gr. III).
However things shake out in the Oaks, one thing is certain: Jones will have no trouble keeping track of his fillies.
"I haven't run two in the Oaks before, but I know where they will be. One of them will be last early," Jones said with a laugh, referring to the stretch-running Include Betty. "The other one should be close to the pace."