Paradise Woods 'Beautiful' in Penultimate Oaks Move
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Photo: Zoe Metz
Paradise Woods works under jockey Flavien Prat
Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella is a man of few words—but who needs pontification when a simple descriptor will do?
"Beautiful" is how Mandella described the April 21 work of Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) contender Paradise Woods, who went four furlongs in :47 3/5 Friday at Santa Anita Park in her penultimate exercise for the May 5 test.
Winner of the April 8 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) by a record margin of 11 3/4 lengths, the 3-year-old daughter of Union Rags will work once more at her Santa Anita base before shipping May 1 to Churchill Downs.
“She’ll have a more serious work next Thursday or Friday," Mandella said.
Paradise Woods will make just her fourth start in the Kentucky Oaks after breaking her maiden March 11 at second asking and stepping into grade 1 company to decimate the Santa Anita Oaks field. Bred by longtime Mandella client Herman Sarkowsky and raced in partnership by Steven Sarkowsky and Pam and Martin Wygod, she is out of the Forest Wildcat mare Wild Forest.