Street Band Returns in Indiana Oaks

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Street Band Returns in Indiana Oaks
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Street Band at Churchill Downs

A full field of 12 3-year-old fillies plus two also-eligibles are entered for the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (G3) July 13, and this year's group represents the largest in the race's 24-year history at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

Headlining the 1 1/16-mile act is Ray Francis, Cindy Jones, Larry Jones, Medallion Racing, and MyRacehorse.com's Street Band. The Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) winner is set to make her first start since an off-the-board finish May 3 in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), where she was shuffled back early.

Also trained by Larry Jones, Street Band impressed at 2 last summer with a 7 1/4-length maiden-breaking win at Ellis Park second time out. She found the winner's circle again four starts later in January, then made her stakes debut in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Serengeti Empress, the Kentucky Oaks winner, stole the show in the Rachel Alexandra while Street Band finished 8 1/4 lengths behind her in fourth. Off at 10-1 in the Fair Grounds Oaks, Street Band captured her first stakes win by drawing off to a 3 3/4-length victory under regular pilot Sophie Doyle.

In the Kentucky Oaks, the daughter of Istan was in tight at the start, shuffled back to eighth, and only got up for seventh. She was placed sixth when the stewards moved champion Jaywalk to last for interference at the start.

Street Band tuned up for the Indiana Oaks with a five-furlong breeze in :59 4/5 July 8, the second-fastest of 10 works at Churchill Downs.

Finishing one spot behind Street Band in the Kentucky Oaks was Debby Oxley's Chocolate Kisses, who also is entered in the Indiana Oaks. The Mark Casse trainee got off to a good start in 2019, winning an allowance optional claiming race on turf at Fair Grounds before rallying to a March 9 victory in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park. 

Chocolate Kisses has been off the board in three starts since. She ran sixth in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, placed seventh in the Kentucky Oaks, and was fourth—beaten 9 1/2 lengths—on turf in the Wonder Again Stakes (G3T) June 6 at Belmont Park. In that race, Chad Brown trainees Cambier Parc and Newspaperofrecord were the first two across the wire.

The Indiana Oaks provides the Candy Ride  filly with some class relief. She breezed a bullet half-mile July 2 at Churchill in preparation for Saturday, working in :47 flat.

Both River Bend Farm's Sweet Diane and Rockingham Ranch's Kim K look to make the grade following allowance-level victories in their most recent starts at Churchill.

Sweet Diane was a $500,000 purchase at the Keeneland April Sale as part of the Horses of Racing Age catalog. In her first start with trainer Eddie Kenneally May 18, the daughter of Will Take Charge  secured a 2 3/4-length allowance win going 1 1/16 miles despite coming out in the upper stretch and bumping with a rival.

Sweet Diane placed in three consecutive stakes before selling and was third, 5 3/4 lengths behind Street Band, in the Fair Grounds Oaks.

Kim K, winner of the Barretts Debutante Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course at 2, ended her juvenile season with a 13th-place run in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. Trainer Peter Miller has run her twice at Churchill this year, and she led every step going a mile June 27, winning by 6 3/4 lengths.


Entries: Indiana Oaks (G3)

Indiana Grand, Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 8

  • Grade III
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $200,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 9:10 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Kim K (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 119 Peter Miller 6/1
2 2Drinking Dixie (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Ricardo Santana, Jr. 115 Thomas M. Amoss 15/1
3 3Shacklette (KY) Martin Chuan 119 Dale L. Romans 20/1
4 4Sundaysatthebeach (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Gabriel Saez 115 Brendan P. Walsh 8/1
5 5Street Band (KY) Sophie Doyle 121 J. Larry Jones 5/2
6 6Blessed Again (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jon Kenton Court 119 John Henry Prather, Jr. 12/1
7 7High Regard (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Corey J. Lanerie 119 Victoria H. Oliver 12/1
8 8Sally's Curlin (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Channing Hill 115 Dale L. Romans 30/1
9 9Chocolate Kisses (KY) Shaun Bridgmohan 121 Mark E. Casse 5/1
10 10With Dignity (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 119 Ian R. Wilkes 8/1
11 11Bye Bye J (AR) Marcelino Pedroza 115 Ron Moquett 20/1
12 12Sweet Diane (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Declan Cannon 119 Eddie Kenneally 8/1
13 13Hallawallah (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 115 Steven M. Asmussen 10/1
14 14Cloud Charmer (KY) Edgard J. Zayas 115 Timothy E. Hamm 30/1