Oxy Lady Aims to Make Kentucky Oaks with Fantasy Run

The $500,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 12 at Oaklawn Park is the final prep race in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series.

The 1 1/16-mile test awards points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the first four finishers, with all 12 entries currently on the outside looking in at the 14 slots for the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Calumet Farm's homebred Oxy Lady is one of three fillies entered from the March 9 Busher Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. After being squeezed and shut out in the stretch, the Oxbow  filly shifted outside and missed the winning Espresso Shot, who avoided trouble, by three-quarters of a length. Oxy Lady had success at Aqueduct in November when she won the Tempted Stakes (G3) by five lengths. The Busher was a return to form following off-the-board finishes in the Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course and the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Oxy Lady is the highweight at 121 pounds, with the rest scheduled to run carrying 117 pounds. She currently ranks 17th on the Oaks leaderboard.

Also experiencing trouble in the Busher was StarLadies Racing's Orra Moor, who finished a head behind Oxy Lady after being bumped inside the three-sixteenths pole. The daughter of Orb  impressed Feb. 10 at Gulfstream Park with a 7 3/4-length win in a six-furlong allowance optional-claiming event and stretched to a mile in the Busher. The Fantasy will be her first two-turn test.

Southern California invader Brill makes her second start Friday off a layoff. OXO Equine's Larry Best went to $1 million for the Medaglia d'Oro  filly at The July Sale, Fasig-Tipton's summer yearling sale, in 2017. She impressed at Del Mar's summer meet as a debut winner but ran fourth and third, respectively, in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) and Chandelier Stakes (G1) in September. Both of those races were won by leading Oaks contender Bellafina.

Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Brill returned March 22 in a six-furlong allowance optional-claiming race at Oaklawn and ran second throughout. 

Leading the local contingent is Mark DeDomenico's Motion Emotion, who was second to Chocolate Kisses in the March 9 Honeybee Stakes (G3). The Take Charge Indy filly used her speed up front and was caught late, finishing a length behind the winner. Prior to the Honeybee, she romped to a 6 3/4-length allowance optional-claiming victory. Both races were run at the Fantasy distance.

Filly Joel seeks a rebound after finishing fifth in the Busher. She was a distant third in the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) and finished a closer second in the Busanda Stakes when passed by Always Shopping. K P Slickem has hit the board in three consecutive stakes at Sunland Park, including a second-place finish to Chasing Yesterday in the Sunland Park Oaks. 

Entries: Fantasy S. (G3)

Oaklawn Park, Friday, April 12, 2019, Race 8

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:04 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Cosmic Code (KY)	Jon Kenton Court	117	Brad H. Cox	12/1
2	2Filly Joel (FL)	David Cohen	117	Juan Alvarado	20/1
3	3Irish Mischief (KY)	Stewart Elliott	117	Brad H. Cox	10/1
4	4Lady Apple (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	117	Steven M. Asmussen	6/1
5	5Destiny Over Fate (MD)	Walter De La Cruz	117	Jesus Cruz	30/1
6	6Super Tap (KY)	Orlando Mojica	117	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	50/1
7	7Kiffle (KY)	Alex L. Canchari	117	Jesus Cruz	50/1
8	8Motion Emotion (KY)	Mike E. Smith	117	Thomas L. Van Berg	5/2
9	9Brill (KY)	Florent Geroux	117	Jerry Hollendorfer	7/2
10	10Orra Moor (KY)	Luis Saez	117	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
11	11K P Slickem (VA)	Tyler Baze	117	Weston L. Martin	20/1
12	12Oxy Lady (KY)	Declan Cannon	121	Jack Sisterson	6/1