Indiana New Ground for Fiftyshadesofhay

Graded stakes winners Fiftyshadesofhay, Seaneen Girl, and Pure Fun head the field of mostly new faces at Indiana Downs for the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (gr. II) Oct. 5.

 

With only two off-the-board finishes in 11 starts, Bob Baffert trainee Fiftyshadesofhay has one of the richer resumés of the eight 3-year-old fillies entered in the 1 1/16-mile test. But of those eight, the Pulpit   filly is also one of the six who will make her first start at the Shelbyville, Ind., oval.

 

The Indiana Oaks is scheduled as race 10 with an approximate post time of 6:05 p.m. and will be run immediately before the Indiana Derby (gr. II).

 

A three-time graded stakes winner with scores in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II), the Iowa Oaks (gr. III), and the Santa Ysabel Stakes (gr. III) this year, Fiftyshadesofhay comes into the Indiana Oaks off a runner-up finish in Saratoga Race Course's Alabama Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 17. With three wins at the Oaks distance, the bay filly seems the obvious frontrunner.

 

Carrying co-highweight of 121 pounds, which she shares with Seaneen Girl, Fiftyshadesofhay will break from post 2 with Martin Garcia in the boot.

 

Seaneen Girl's last outing resulted in a disappointing seventh-place finish behind Close Hatches in the Sept. 21 Cotillion Stakes (gr. I) at Parx Racing. Prior to that, however, she started in the Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) after finishing out of the money in the Arlington Oaks (gr.III), and emerged victorious by a very impressive six lengths.

 

Trainer Bernard Flint sends out the Spring At Last   filly in her fist visit to Indiana Downs with Leandro Goncalves up; the pair will break from post 6.

 

Susan McPeek's Magadalena Racing has entered Pure Fun, winner of the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I) Dec. 8 at the Oaks distance. In three starts since the Starlet she's only placed once for trainer Ken McPeek: a third in the Fathead Bourbonnette Oaks (gr. III) at Turfway Park March 23.

 

Pure Fun will break from post 7 carrying 117 pounds including jockey Victor Lebron, who has ridden the Pure Prize   filly to all three of her wins.

 

Stakes winner Oscar Party last saw the winner's circle three starts back in a Churchill Downs allowance win at the Oaks distance. The winner of last year's Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes will make her first start on dirt since her debut for trainer James Cassidy.

 

Rounding out the field are stakes-placed starters Wild About Irene and Fully Living, each of whom has won by daylight in their only starts at Indiana Downs; allowance winner Plenty O'Toole; and maiden Run Forestry Run.

 

1. Run Forestry Run (KY), T L Pompell, 115, W West

2. Fiftyshadesofhay (KY), M Garcia, 121, B Baffert

3. Fully Living (KY), B J Hernandez, Jr., 115, G R Arnold, II

4. Wild About Irene (KY), F De La Cruz, 115, G S Bennett

5. Plenty O'Toole (KY), M Mena, 115, C L Dickey

6. Seaneen Girl (KY), L R Goncalves, 121, B S Flint

7. Pure Fun (KY), V Lebron, 117, K G McPeek

8. Oscar Party (KY), D R Flores, 119, J M Cassidy