Tarifa Punches Kentucky Oaks Ticket at Fair Grounds
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Photo: Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges Jr.
Tarifa takes the Fair Grounds Oaks at Fair Grounds Race Course
With the Kentucky Oaks (G1) next on the horizon, Godolphin homebred Tarifa has put it all together.
After tracking early leader Our Pretty Woman throughout the $388,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) March 23 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Tarifa edged to the lead in the stretch and held off a couple re-rally attempts from her determined rival.
After a victory and an off-the-board finish in her two starts last year for trainer Brad Cox, Tarifa has fully hit her stride this season in three starts in New Orleans. She won an allowance level race there Jan. 20 before posting a 2 3/4-length victory in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) Feb. 17.
She followed those efforts with Saturday's impressive outing under Flavien Prat, completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.24 on a fast track.
Prat was able to settle Tarifa after an eventful early going. The daughter of Bernardini steadied after brushing with Midsummer March in the first turn. She then appeared full of run as she shadowed early leader Our Pretty Woman through a half-mile in :47.93 but Prat was able to relax her just a bit.
"She showed some early speed but once we got to the first turn, she was very keen," Prat said. "Then she relaxed well when we got to the backside and she made a nice run down the lane. It will be a different deal when there are a lot of horses around her."
Our Pretty Woman's clear advantage dwindled to a half-length through six furlongs in 1:12.42 as the real racing began. Tarifa took the advantage in mid-stretch but Our Pretty Woman dug in and continued to challenge before Tarifa finally edged away for the three-quarter-length score.
Sent off the 3-2 favorite, Tarifa landed her second straight grade 2 win while punching her ticket to the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Cox said it will be important for her to relax a bit more in that test, but he's thrilled with the strides she's making.
"She is still learning and I am proud of what she has accomplished this far," Cox said. "She is not a real big filly but she has handled everything we've asked from her and hopefully she steps forward."
Winning trainer Cox would sweep Saturday's big races for 3-year-olds at Fair Grounds as in the next race he sent out Catching Freedom to victory in the Louisiana Derby (G2). Cox won the Kentucky Oaks in 2018 with Monomoy Girl and in 2020 with Shedaresthedevil .
Our Pretty Woman earned a placing in her first stakes try and also picked up 50 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Oaks as the Fair Grounds Oaks awarded qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale. V V's Dream closed from fifth early to finish third.
Racing Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen believes Our Pretty Woman can improve off that effort in the Kentucky Oaks, which would be just her fourth career start.
"I'm proud of her effort. The thing is now hopefully she moves forward from it," Asmussen said. "She'll go to Churchill (March 25) with the rest of the barn. I'll discuss it with the owners (Courtlandt Farms) and do what's best for (Our Pretty Woman)."
Kenny McPeek, trainer of V V's Dream for owners MJM Racing and Magdalena Racing, thinks the seven-furlong Eight Belles Stakes (G2) on the May 3 Kentucky Oaks card at Churchill Downs may be a good fit for his filly although he'll consider the Kentucky Oaks too.
"She's been really good to us. Maybe an Eight Belles filly, maybe she doesn't want to go quite that far," McPeek said. "Maybe the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (May 17 at Pimlico Race Course). I'll talk to (co-owner Mike Mackin) and see if he wants to go for the Oaks. She'll have to be screaming at us to do it. She hates the mud. We got her on a fast track and she ran better. But the winner today ran a really good race."
Grade 2 winner Intricate, who finished second in the Rachel Alexandra on a sloppy Fair Grounds surface, gave way after being floated into the five path entering the stretch. The daughter of Gun Runner finished fifth. Intricate is trained by Brendan Walsh, who won the 2023 Kentucky Oaks with Godolphin's Pretty Mischievous , winner of that year's Rachel Alexandra and runner-up in the Fair Grounds Oaks. She would be named champion 3-year-old filly of 2023.
Accommodate Eva finished fourth while Midsummer March faded to last in the field of six.
Kentucky-bred Tarifa is the first starter out of the unraced Awesome Again mare Kite Beach, who is out of Tizdubai, a grade 2 winner who is a full sister to 2000 Horse of the Year and two-time Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Tiznow as well as grade 2 winner Budroyale and stakes winner Tizbud.
Tarifa is a daughter of the classic-winning late stallion Bernardini, who stood at Darley America until his death in July 2021 at age 18 after a bout of laminitis. Bernardini earned champion broodmare sire honors in 2022.