Black Type On the Line in Indiana Oaks

A purse of $200,000 is nice, but a grade II win on a 3-year-old filly's résumé may be more enticing to the owners of the 11 sophomore fillies entered for the Oct. 4 Indiana Oaks (gr. II).

Sharing the card at Indiana Downs with the $500,000 Indiana Derby (gr. II), the Oaks goes as race nine on the program with a post time of 8:41 p.m. CDT.



The best gauge of the talent in the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Oaks might be which stakes performer has gotten closest to two-time grade I winner Stopchargingmaria. Repole Stable's star won back-to-back grade I races at Saratoga Race Course this summer in the Coaching Club America Oaks and Alabama Stakes.



Charles Fipke's homebred Unbridled Forever was within five lengths of Stopchargingmaria in the CCA Oaks. She also ran third behind division leader Untapable in the May 2 Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and was third in the Acorn Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park.

Trainer Dallas Stewart got a five-furlong work into the Unbridled's Song filly Sept. 27, timed in 1:02 3/5 at Churchill Downs. Unbridled Forever is out of Kentucky Oaks winner Lemons Forever and breaks from post with Joel Rosario regaining the ride.



Fipke and Stewart also have Soul Title, a bay filly by Fipke stallion Perfect Soul  . She has a maiden win to her credit but has been unplaced in four starts against winners.



Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stables' Miss Besilu was third in the Alabama, beaten just 1 1/4 lengths by Stopchargingmaria. On Sept. 13 she tried the turf and ran a tiring eighth in the nine-furlong Sands Point Stakes (gr. IIT) at Belmont Park. Not many $2.6 million weanlings make their way to Indiana, but she does for trainer Bill Mott.



In last year's Demoiselle Stakes (gr. II), Godolphin Racing's Penwith was pipped by Stopchargingmaria by a neck. Off nearly five months during the summer, the Bernardini   filly surfaced at Gulfstream Park with a 4 3/4-length win in a 1 1/16-mile allowance/optional claiming tightener. She has since put together a string of works in upstate New York over the Saratoga training track for Kiaran McLaughlin.