Nest Installed as 5-2 Favorite in Kentucky Oaks

Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) winner Nest  was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite and will break from post 4 in a deep field of 14 3-year-old fillies entered in this year's May 6 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.

The Oaks draw was completed May 2 at about 2:20 p.m. ET at the Louisville track.

Three of the entrants in the $1.25 million stakes, including 4-1 morning-line third choice Echo Zulu , the 2-year-old champion filly of 2021 who in her one start this season won the TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), will enter the starting gate unbeaten. The other undefeated horses, Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) winner Kathleen O. , the 7-2 second choice on the morning line, and UAE Oaks Presented by Jafza (G3) winner Shahama , drew posts 10 and 13 respectively.

Honeybee Stakes (G3) winner Secret Oath  will start from the inside, post 1.

Once upon a time the Kentucky Oaks was a grade 2 event—an early look at the 3-year-old filly crop ahead of the New York Racing Association's Filly Triple Tiara. Not so today, as it now ranks as one of racing's premier events.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has three runners in the Oaks: Nest; Goddess of Fire  (post 5); and previously Dubai-based Shahama. Pletcher has four career Oaks wins to his credit including last year's winner, eventual champion 3-year-old filly Malathaat . A victory Friday afternoon would place him in a tie with racing legend Woody Stephens for all-time Kentucky Oaks wins with five.

Nest, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Curlin  , races for Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House. She's won five of six starts including last year's Demoiselle Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct over fellow Oaks starter Venti Valentine . This season she was an easy winner of the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in February and won the Ashland by 8 1/4 lengths over Cocktail Moments . 

Aron Wellman, who heads Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, was asked if he was happy with post 4 and if he was surprised that she's the 5-2 favorite: "Yes and yes, but we'll take that kind of pressure any day."

"Posts 4 and 5 were really good," echoed Pletcher. "In watching the videos of her (Shahama) races in Dubai, she's not that quick away from the gate. I think she might be better off out there (post 13). It will give (Flavien Prat) some options. If she was stuck inside and she didn't get away well, it could compromise her chances.

"Shahama has trained impressively," Pletcher continued. "It's hard to win four of four no matter where you are. This will be a class test, but the way she's training, I'd be optimistic she fits." 

Hall of Fame conditioner D. Wayne Lukas also has four Oaks wins, but none since Seaside Attraction upended Go for Wand in the 1990 Oaks. His Secret Oath, a daughter of Arrogate , has a legion of supporters after her score in the Honeybee was followed by a rough-trip third against the boys in the April 2 Arkansas Derby (G1). Luis Saez will ride Secret Oath for Briland Farm.

Echo Zulu drew post 7 and trainer Steve Asmussen expects her to quickly gain a forward position.

"You don't have to wonder ... you know where you're at immediately," said two-time Oaks winner Asmussen.

Echo Zulu is five-for-five including a score in last year's championship-defining NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). It's unusual an unbeaten champion is the third choice in any race, much less the Oaks, however, the last juvenile filly champion to win the Oaks was Hall of Famer Silverbulletday  in 1999.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, who sends out unbeaten Kathleen O. for Pat Kearney's Winngate Stables, won the Oaks in 1993 with Dispute . Kearney, 84, has been in the business for just over a year, and now has his "horse of a lifetime." His Oaks starter is named for his wife.

The dark bay filly, by Upstart  , was one of two 2-year-olds purchased by Kearney at last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. After a maiden win at Aqueduct last November, Kathleen O. tore through Gulfstream Park's path to the Oaks with victories in the Jan. 1 Cash Run Stakes, March 5 Davona Dale Stakes Presented by FanDuel (G2), and April 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. 

"I liked the draw very much," McGaughey said. "The speed is inside of her, basically. If she breaks good, she ought to be able to get a good position. The break shouldn't be all that important to her, especially from the 10, because they're gonna outrun her. I hope he can get good position (with her) going down the backside, give her a place to go, and see if she is good enough."

Javier Castellano will seek his first Oaks victory aboard Kathleen O.

"She's going to like the track at Churchill a lot," McGaughey continued. "Gulfstream is a speed-favoring track with a short stretch. I think (Castellano) will to be able to feel the race out for a little bit, and with the long stretch you can be little bit more patient."

Entries: Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1)

Churchill Downs, Friday, May 06, 2022, Race 11

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $1,250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:51 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Secret Oath (KY)	Luis Saez	121	D. Wayne Lukas	-
2	Nostalgic (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	William I. Mott	-
3	Hidden Connection (KY)	Reylu Gutierrez	121	W. Bret Calhoun	-
4	Nest (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Todd A. Pletcher	-
5	Goddess of Fire (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	Todd A. Pletcher	-
6	Yuugiri (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Rodolphe Brisset	-