Lukas Pointing 'Brandi' to Kentucky Oaks

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said the game plan at this time for Take Charge Brandi, leading contender for champion 2-year-old filly honors, includes the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and none of the Triple Crown prep races.

"Right now, she's Oaks bound," Lukas said the morning of Dec. 23 at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

To get the speedy daughter of Giant's Causeway  , who arrived at Oaklawn Dec. 23, to the May 1 Oaks at Churchill Downs, Lukas is planning to run Take Charge Brandi twice at Oaklawn—the $150,000 Honeybee Stakes (gr. III) March 7 and the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (gr. III) April 4.

"The Honeybee-Fantasy would be the obvious choice," Lukas said.

Owned by Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark., Take Charge Brandi most likely clinched an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 2-year-old filly with a half-length victory in the $350,000 Starlet Stakes (gr. I) Dec. 13 at Los Alamitos Race Course. Previous to the Starlet, Take Charge Brandi won the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park and the Delta Princess Stakes (gr. III) Nov. 22.

Lukas, who saddled the filly Winning Colors to win the 1988 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), said he considered running Take Charge Brandi against males in the Dec. 20 $500,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (gr. I). Mr. Z, also trained by Lukas, finished third in that race behind Dortmund and Firing Line in a three-horse photo that produced a track record (1:40.86) for 1 1/16 miles.

Lukas said he would consider running Take Charge Brandi against males "in the right situation."

In addition to Winning Colors, who also beat males in the 1988 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), Lukas won the 1984 Arkansas Derby against males with Althea, a week after the filly ran second in the Fantasy.

"Damn near did it the other day," Lukas said of possibly running Take Charge Brandi in the Futurity. "I'm glad I didn't because that race came up really tough. But I thought about it. She was squealing and playing and jumping in the stall. I said, 'It won't be the first time I've done that.' "

Take Charge Brandi has a 4-1-0 record from eight starts and earnings of $1,620,126 while racing on both coasts and in four different states.

"January and February will go fast," Lukas said. "Our obvious goal is the Oaks."