StarLadies On Oaks Trail With Eskenformoney

The all-female StarLadies Racing stable put their first group together in 2013 with eight women partnering on five yearling filly purchases. The fact one of the fillies, Eskenformoney, has made her way to the May 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) puts the octet in grade I company.



With the idea of giving more women a start in Thoroughbred ownership, StarLadies Racing was developed by Laurie Wolf and Barbara Lucarelli and has its roots with Starlight Racing, which was founded by Jack Wolf in 2000, with Don Lucarelli joining the team a few years later. One of their first purchases was Harlan's Holiday, the favorite for the 2002 Kentucky Derby (gr. I).



The Starlight group also has one Oaks under their belt, with Hall of Fame member Ashado (2002; with partners Paul Saylor and Johns Martin), and perennially has a starter for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I)—including this year's hopeful Itsaknockout.



So, with StarLadies, having an Oaks starter might be a little more than beginner's luck.



Eskenformoney, a $225,000 buy at the Keeneland September yearling sale, has come to hand this winter at 3 in South Florida, advancing through her maiden and allowance optional claiming conditions, and then placing in the one-mile Davona Dale Stakes (gr. II) and 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II).



Trained by Todd Pletcher, the filly is a daughter of first-year sire Eskendereya   out of the Not For Love   mare But for Money. Eskenformoney tuned up for the Oaks April 24, getting four furlongs in :48 2/5 while working in company inside of Roberta Turner.



"It's exciting to get one to the Oaks," Laurie Wolf said. "She's training fine and doing well and always tries. In the Davona Dale, she was right there (beaten a half-length in a blanket finish with Ekati's Phaeton and Birdatthewire. In her last race (beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Birdatthewire), she was beaten by a nice filly, but she was trying. She's a beautiful horse and is a kind filly, but she can show some attitude."

StarLadies' stable of five are fillies selected from all of the yearlings purchased by the Starlight group in 2013. That year Starlight paid $4.1 million for 17 yearlings. Former trainer Frankie Brothers helps with the yearling selection process. The StarLadies horses were selected from that group.



"She was a big, scopey filly who looked like she wanted to go two turns, which is what we were looking for; an Oaks filly; an Alabama (Stakes, gr. I) filly," he said of Eskenformoney as a yearling. "She looked like she could get a route of ground but could also have a turn of foot, which she does.



"She was plenty of money, but we were fortunate to get her. If you give a dollar and they can't run, you've paid too much."



Eskenformoney made her first four starts at 2 on the turf with moderate success, but was still a maiden. Her dirt debut came in October at Keeneland and she missed by a nose in a maiden special weight going 1 1/16 miles.



"Every time she kept trying," Wolf said. "Todd kept saying she was training well and the jockeys were saying she's putting it all together. Then on the dirt, she started to turn things around."



The filly broke through at Gulfstream Park with a 9 3/4-length maiden win Dec. 1 at a mile. That was followed by a 3 3/4-length win against allowance optional claiming foes. And then came the stakes efforts and now the Oaks experience.



All eight of the partners will descend upon Louisville for the Oaks, and Wolf is busy preparing for everyone's arrival from New York, Boston, and one, Leigh Butler, from Colorado.



But before the fun came Friday's work. Wolf and Brothers were on hand at Churchill Downs.



"I think Todd was just trying to maintain with her and to see how she handled herself over the Churchill track," Brothers said. "In my opinion, the horses that work good over the track run good over the track. It was a nice work. The time was good; the gallop out was good. It was uneventful. I think at this stage you just want to hold on to what you've got."



Does StarLadies Racing have beginner's luck and more in the Oaks? We'll find out May 1.