Land Over Sea Cruises in Fair Grounds Oaks

With unbeaten rival Songbird far away on the West Coast, Reddam Racing's Land Over Sea nailed down her first stakes win in convincing style March 26 in the $400,000 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II).

 

The Bellamy Road   filly, second or third to the champion filly in four graded stakes tries in California, waited off the early pace before finding clear sailing in the final sixteenth of the long stretch at Fair Ground Race Course & Slots. She got past front-runner Adore and continued on to a 4 1/2-length triumph. 

 

Ridden by John Velazquez for the first time, Land Over Sea covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.74 on a fast track. Dream Dance got up to snatch second from Adore, who held on for third just a neck back.

 

Land Over Sea settled in sixth early, as Midnight On Oconee set the pace, chased by Adore, who got past her nearing the home turn. Adore looked to go on to victory once in the stretch and opened a one-length lead, but Land Over Sea easily reeled her in to get the win.

 

"It did look like Adore wasn't going to give up the lead, so I got a little worried for a second that we were going to run second again to a nice filly," trainer Doug O'Neill said. "Johnny kept after her and Land Over Sea loved the long stretch, and really took advantage of it. There was no quit in her."

 

Land Over Sea, the 9-5 favorite in the field of eight, paid $5.60, $3.40, and $2.60. Dream Dance returned $14 and $7, and Adore paid $4 to show.

 

"She broke a little slow... so I took advantage of that and saved some ground on the first turn," Velazquez said. "On the backstretch a horse was backing up, so I went around that one and then by the three-eighths I was sitting third, and from there it was all her. When I came down the lane, she switched leads and showed the quality she is, and what she was chasing out in California (Songbird)."

 

Land Over Sea has checked in behind Songbird in five successive starts, including seconds in the Santa Ysabel (gr. III) March 5 in her previous start, Las Virgenes (gr. II) Feb. 6, and the Chandelier (gr. I) in September.

 

Land Over Sea earned 100 qualifying points for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and sits atop the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 128 points. 

 

"The Oaks is the plan," said Doug O'Neill's assistant Jack Sisterson. "I'll let Doug and the Reddams decide, but it's good to go on to Kentucky with a confident win like that."

 

Bred in Kentucky by Jack Swain III, Land Over Sea is from the Pulpit mare Belle Watling. O'Neill's brother Dennis bought her from Victor Davila's agency for $130,000 at the 2015 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. April 2-year-olds in training sale.

 

Northwest Tale finished fourth, followed by Venus Valentine, Stageplay, Midnight On Oconee, and Street Fancy, to complete the order of finish.