Eye on the Oaks: Oceanwave

Oceanwave (No. 10) surges to a second-place finish in the Fantasy Stakes. (Photo by Coady Photography)
The sister race to the Kentucky Derby, the $1-million, 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks is held annually at Churchill Downs on the Friday before the Derby and restricted to 3-year-old fillies (young female horses). Eye on the Oaks, which will run through the 2015 edition of the race, takes a closer look at fillies who have won important races and could make an impact as we move toward the first Friday in May.
This week we take a look at Oceanwave, second-place finisher in both the April 4 Fantasy Stakes and the March 7 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

After going one-for-two as a 2-year-old, Oceanwave has stepped up to stakes company as a sophomore for trainer Wayne Catalano and owners Gary and Mary West and performed well, turning in a pair of runner-up finishes on the Oaklawn Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Her efforts earned her 60 Kentucky Oaks points and an assured spot in the race as she sits in seventh position on the leaderboard with all preps completed. She also has an impressive pedigree, with names such as Untapable, Tapizar and Olympio appearing there.
Racing Résumé
Oceanwave debuted in late September at Churchill Downs, site of the Kentucky Oaks, with a third-place finish at seven furlongs. A few weeks later she graduated with a nose victory at Keeneland over the same distance before taking a break for the remainder of 2014. She earned a 90 Equibase Speed Figure for her winning effort, nine points better than her first try.
Her sophomore season kicked off with an easy victory in an optional claiming contest at Oaklawn Park and continued with her first stakes try and her first try around two turns in the Grade 3 Honeybee. In that race she dropped back to fifth, 10 ¾ lengths behind the leader, before advancing on the turn. Her closing rush wasn’t enough to win but got her second place and an 87 speed figure as the betting favorite, 1 ½ lengths behind winner Sarah Sis.
In the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes, Oceanwave partnered with a new jockey in Ramon Vasquez but her running style remained the same. She again settled at the back of the pack and came with a strong closing run, but again it wasn’t quite enough. The filly encountered a lot of traffic and ended up swinging wide coming off the turn for home but finished a neck behind winner Include Betty. Oceanwave earned a new career-high speed figure of 100, equal to that of winner Include Betty.
2015 FANTASY STAKES

Video courtesy Horse Racing
Running Style
Oceanwave is a closer, a filly that likes to come from far off the pace and make one big run in the final stages of a race. This style could be helpful in the race this year, as some of the top contenders are fillies who like to set the pace. If they push each other through fast fractions the race will set up perfectly for a filly with a strong closing kick. It could also be troublesome if the large field causes traffic trouble for closers.
Though her two most recent efforts were second-place finishes, those were in graded stakes and she seems to have improved as the distances have increased and she has matured. Her increasing Equibase Speed Figures in each of her starts this year are also indicative of an improving filly.

Previous Editions ofEye on the Oaks 
Seduire
Take Charge Brandi
I'm a Chatterbox
Birdatthewire
Callback
Overprepared
Angela Renee
Condo Commando
Stellar Wind
Sarah Sis
Birdatthewire

Lovely Maria

Include Betty

Pedigree
Oceanwave has twice entered the Keeneland auction ring, most recently as a yearling in 2013 when she sold for $120,000. She is a member of one of the final crops of late sire Harlan’s Holiday and out of the Tapit mare Tamboz.
Harlan’s Holiday was a Grade 1 winner of more than $3.6-million in his time on the race track, and he developed into a top-class sire. His top runner so far is 2012 2-year-old champion Shanghai Bobby, and he also has graded stakes winners such as Willcox Inn, Summer Applause, Summer Soiree and Majesticperfection. His offspring have been successful on all surfaces and on a variety of distances.
Oceanwave is the first foal out of Tamboz, a winning daughter of Tapit who is a full sister to multiple graded stakes-winning sire Tapizar and a half-sister to four other winners. Grandam Winning Call is half-sister to two stakes winners, but the biggest producer in Oceanwave’s pedigree is Carols Christmas.
Fourth dam Carols Christmas produced Grade 1 winning millionaire and sire Olympio as well as Oceanwave’s third dam, stakes winner Call Now, stakes fillies Your Call and Carol’s Wonder and top-class producers Bistra, Christmas Star and Dana Nicole. The list of stakes horses appearing under Carols Christmas in Oceanwave’s pedigree is quite impressive. Chief among them is Bistra’s graded stakes winner Fun House, who of course produced champion Untapable and Grade 1-winning millionaire Paddy O’Prado.
Also under Oceanwave’s fourth dam are Grade 1-winning millionaire sire Pyro and graded stakes winning sires Early Flyer and Cuvee, as well as multiple graded stakes winners Wild Wonder and Bien Nicole. Graded stakes winners Longview Drive and Will He Shine, as well as stakes winner War Echo also stem from Oceanwave’s fourth dam, Carols Christmas.
Oceanwave is an improving filly with a favorable running style and a pedigree chock-full of back class. She’s well worth taking a close look at come Kentucky Oaks day.