Regrouping Salty Aims for Acorn Stakes

Salty entered the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) as one of the fillies with intriguing potential.

Raced just three times and exiting an eye-opening victory in the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), the Quality Road   filly had the right kind of closing style in a field flush with speed to set her up for a big effort.

Unfortunately for Salty—co-owned by Gary Barber, Baccari Racing, and Chester Prince—luck was not on her side. Drawn widest of 14 entrants, she had to negotiate a closing run over a course that appeared to favor speed and the inside throughout the day. Still she ran hard, stomached a rough trip, and finished fifth, beaten four lengths.

"I guess the best way to describe it is that the racing gods were not with us," trainer Mark Casse said. "They have been with us many times before, so we're not going to complain, but she ran a big race and got unlucky. The track was really tough, especially on Friday, where there was a pretty good speed bias. I really tip my hat to Baffert's filly, who came from back where we were. 

"We tried to sneak up the rail and got stopped twice and there was a complete meltdown up front. Take nothing away from the winner, because she was awesome. I just think we could have been a little closer." 

China Horse Farm and Clearsky Farm's Bob Baffert-trained winner Abel Tasman—another daughter of Quality Road—got a similar tail-end early trip, but was given a swooping and trouble-free ride by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. Salty was not as fortunate with traffic, but still showed courage amid the rush hour splash-fest, being bumped twice and switching out to resolutely close four-wide under Joel Rosario. 

Few horses live up to their name as poorly as Salty. Well-behaved, honest in performance, and a napping enthusiast, she is not nearly as tough in personality as her competition has been so far in her career. At first asking, she came a neck short after a five-wide trip to well-regarded and -bred Nonna Bella in a February Gulfstream Park maiden race. Next time out she asserted her dominance over well-intended Bill Mott-trained WinStar Farm homebred Covenant in a seven-furlong graduation, four weeks prior to her 4 1/4-length Gulfstream Park Oaks score over fellow Kentucky Oaks runners Tequilita and Jordan's Henny.

"We really think highly of her and I was confident going in," Casse said. "We'll regroup now and go to the ($700,000) Acorn (Stakes June 10 at Belmont Park) with her."