Kentucky Oaks Graduates Seek Acorn Redemption

My Miss Sophia figures to garner considerable attention in the one-turn mile event off her second-place finish behind star Untapable in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) at Churchill Downs May 2. My Miss Sophia, 6-5 on the morning line, likes New York just fine, having won the Gazelle Stakes (gr. II) by 7 1/4 lengths at Aqueduct in April. The Unbridled's Song daughter scored by 11 lengths in her second lifetime start at Gulfstream Park and has flashed speed in each of her four races, having been first or second at every call.

 

Kentucky Oaks third Unbridled Forever, by the same sire as My Miss Sophia, was six lengths in arrears of that one in the Oaks after a four-wide move down the stretch. She was also third behind Untapable in the Fair Ground Oaks (gr. II) after winning the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds in January. Unbridled Forever, out of Kentucky Oaks winner Lemons Forever, employs a stalking style and should have targets to run at in the Acorn.

 

Fiftyshadesofgold was a last-out winner of the Eight Belles Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill on Oaks day and is a three-time stakes winner in her six-race career. The Texas-bred is another who likes to stalk and she obviously enjoys winning, with four in her column in her young career.

 

Fashion Plate threw in a clunker in the Oaks after being fractious in the gate and unprepared at the start, hopping after the break. She finished 11th of 12 but jockey Gary Stevens sees fit to ride her back in the Acorn. The two teamed to win the Las Virgenes Stakes and Santa Anita Oaks (both gr. I) earlier this season in front-running fashion, the same style she employed to break her maiden. She will likely be forwardly placed from her rail start in the Acorn.

 

House Rules just missed by a neck in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II) and also rolled a second in the Davona Dale Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream. She is not as accomplished as her top foes in here but has flashed talent and is another who figures to be in the vanguard early.

 

Sweet Reason won the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga in September and was most recently third in the Gazelle. She ran fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), missing by two lengths, and was also third in the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont in October. She is not to be confused with Tiz So Sweet, an allowance winner at Belmont last month by daylight following a maiden score at Aqueduct. Rounding out a sugary trifecta isSweet Whiskey, second in the Beaumont Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland last out. Sweet Whiskey scored in the Old Hat Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream to start the year and was second at Belmont in the Matron Stakes (gr. II) last fall.

 

Lightly raced Artemis Agrotera has been off since a fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She won the Frizette at a mile at Belmont before that, but has only three starts in her column.

 

Lady Paradime has won a couple of allowance/optional claimers coming into the Acorn but will be tested for class.Risque Reality,Vero Amore, and Euphrosyne also will need to up their games, although the last-named was placed first through disqualification in the Honeybee Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park in March. She was most recently 10th in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) at Pimlico Race Course.

 

1) Fashion Plate , Gary Stevens, 121, Simon Callaghan, 12/1

2) House Rules, Alex Solis, 115, Allen Jerkens, 12/1

3) Fiftyshadesofgold, Mike Smith, 121, W. Bret Calhoun, 8/1

4) Sweet Whiskey, John Velazquez, 121, Todd Pletcher, 20/1

5) Sweet Reason, Irad Ortiz Jr., 121, Leah Gyarmati, 10/1

6) Tiz So Sweet, Junior Alvarado, 117, Bill Mott, 20/1

7) Unbridled Forever, Joel Rosario, 117, Dallas Stewart, 10/1

8) My Miss Sophia, Javier Castellano, 121, Todd Pletcher, 6/5

9) Artemis Agrotera, Jose Ortiz, 121, Michael Hushion, 5/1

10) Lady Paradime, Rajiv Maragh, 119, Kelly Breen, 30/1

11) Risque Reality, Cornelio Velasquez, 115, Peter Pugh, 30/1

12) Vero Amore, Frank Pennington, 115, Robert Reid Jr., 20/1

13) Euphrosyne, Rosie Napravnik, 121, Steve Asmussen, 20/1