Kentucky Oaks: It's About Time

The old racing adage that "time only counts when you're in jail" might not always ring true. Training a 3-year-old filly to be primed for the first Friday in May is all about timing. Ask the horsemen preparing the 14 fillies for the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Juvenile fillies can be quite temperamental transitioning from the late fall to early spring. Good form in October and November can remain frozen in time after the calendar turns, or a slow-to-develop filly can blossom and melt hearts in the spring.

"Going into these big races you have to be ready, because if you're not, someone will be," said trainer Dallas Stewart, who will saddle Out for a Spin in the nine-furlong Oaks. "You have to do your job, get them ready, and lead them over there."

It might be time for 2-1 morning-line favorite Bellafina, who already has three grade 1 wins under her belt. Kaleem Shah's daughter of Quality Road  was a late arrival to Churchill Downs, trainer Simon Callahan opting to ship in April 29 from her base at Santa Anita Park. Bellafina's lone outing outside of Southern California was a fourth-place finish as the favorite in the Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). This spring she looks the part, but so do others.

The time might be right for Jaywalk, the Breeders' Cup winner and champion. She seeks to pull a rare double of the Breeders' Cup and the Oaks that has only been turned twice since 1989. After a four-month break, she's dropped a pair of starts but is moving in the right direction.

"The important thing was not how she ran in March, but how she'll run May 3," said Jon Green, the son of D.J. Stable principal Leonard Green.

Jaywalk is co-owned by Chuck Zacney's Cash is King and is trained by John Servis. Servis and Zacney won the Oaks in 2016 with Cathryn Sophia.

The Ken McPeek-trained Restless Rider is another who had a long break after her 2-year-old campaign, making only one start. She was beaten a neck in the April 6 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) by Out for a Spin but topped Jaywalk.

"I was a little bit behind the eight ball in trying to get her ready for the Ashland, but I didn't want to run her in anything but two-turn races, so we waited for the Ashland," McPeek said. "I'm confident she can step forward Friday."

One taking a different tack is ADR Racing Stable's Jeltrin, who will break from post 11. The daughter of Tapizar  was a head winner of the March 2 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream and enters the Oaks off a nine-week break.

Other fillies have been rising to the occasion while heading into the Oaks.

Phoenix Thoroughbreds and KatieRich Stables' Lady Apple is riding a three-race win streak into the Oaks. With all three wins coming at Oaklawn Park, her latest score was a one-length win in the April 12 Fantasy Stakes (G3). The daughter of Curlin  has been an attractive addition to the early works and gallops this week at Churchill Downs.

Street Band—owned by Larry and Cindy Jones, Ray Francis, Medallion Racing, and MyRacehorse.com—popped up with a  3 3/4-length score in the March 23 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in New Orleans. Trainer Larry Jones has plenty of Oaks history—three wins in the race since 2008—and a sharp rider in Sophie Doyle.

Street Band's win came at the expense of Bob Cummings and Annette Bacola's Coffeepot Stables' Liora, who will be making her fourth start under the Twin Spires in the Oaks.

Six Column Stables and Randall Bloch's late-running Champagne Anyone powered her way to win the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) while attending the pace. With an up-tempo pace scenario expected in the Kentucky Oaks, look for regular rider Chris Landeros to attack from a midpack position early.

The fractional times of the Oaks is of the essence on the front end. Serengeti Empress, a free-running filly, will have to expend some early energy to find the rail from post 13. She wired her competition in Churchill's Pocahontas Stakes (G2) in September by 19 lengths and won Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots' Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) while on the engine in February. However, she bled in the Fair Grounds Oaks.

Based on the past performances, Serengeti Empress should have plenty of company, as Out for a Spin may have to be sent from post 1, and Bellafina and Jaywalk prefer to attend the pace. Outsiders Positive Spirit (30-1) and Motion Emotion (15-1) have found success on the lead, as has Liora.

Post time for the Oaks is 6:12 p.m. ET. Time is of the essence.

Entries: Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1)

Churchill Downs, Friday, May 03, 2019, Race 11

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $1,250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 6:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Out for a Spin (VA)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Dallas Stewart	15/1
2	2Chocolate Kisses (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	121	Mark E. Casse	20/1
3	3Lady Apple (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	121	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1
4	4Bellafina (KY)	Flavien Prat	121	Simon Callaghan	2/1
5	5Flor de La Mar (KY)	Joel Rosario	121	Bob Baffert	20/1
6	6Positive Spirit (KY)	Manuel Franco	121	Rodolphe Brisset	30/1
7	7Jaywalk (KY)	Javier Castellano	121	John C. Servis	8/1
8	8Motion Emotion (KY)	Mike E. Smith	121	Thomas L. Van Berg	15/1
9	9Liora (KY)	Channing Hill	121	Wayne M. Catalano	20/1
10	10Champagne Anyone (KY)	Chris Landeros	121	Ian R. Wilkes	6/1
11	11Jeltrin (KY)	Luis Saez	121	Alexis Delgado	15/1
12	12Street Band (KY)	Sophie Doyle	121	J. Larry Jones	15/1
13	13Serengeti Empress (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Thomas M. Amoss	8/1
14	14Restless Rider (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	121	Kenneth G. McPeek	6/1
15	15Dunbar Road (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Chad C. Brown	5/1
16	16Point of Honor (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	George Weaver	20/1