I thought this year I would try and focus some attention to the Fillies that are on the Bluegrass Oaks<\/i> Trail.\u00a0 The first Oaks<\/i> was run in 1999 and was called The Bluegrass Filly<\/i> and then changed the following year to the Bluegrass Oaks<\/i> and has remained the Oaks<\/i> ever since.\u00a0 Looking at the previous 19 winners, I have broken down their 3yo prep races leading up to the Oaks<\/i>.\u00a0 Listed below is a breakdown of the major Prep Races leading up to the Oaks and how they relate to the winner\u2019s profile.<\/p>\n
Lool Stakes<\/b> \u2013 9 horses exited the Lool<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>, 2 were winners of the Lool<\/i><\/p>\n
California Oaks<\/b> \u2013 6 horses exited the California Oaks<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>, 2 won the California Oaks<\/i><\/p>\n
The Fantasia<\/b> – 6 horses exited the Fantasia<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>, 3 won the Fantasia<\/i><\/p>\n
The Los Vinegrette<\/b> \u2013 3 horses exited the Los Vinegrette<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>; no horse has ever won the Los Vinegrette<\/i> and then won the Oaks<\/i><\/p>\n
Santa Jezebel<\/b> – \u2013 3 horses exited the Santa Jezebel<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>; two of them were winners of the Santa Jezebel<\/i><\/p>\n
Louisiana Oaks<\/b> – 3 horses exited the Louisiana Oaks<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>; no horse has ever won the Louisiana Oaks<\/i> and then won the Oaks<\/i><\/p>\n
The Sweet Nannette<\/b> \u2013 2 horses exited the Sweet Nannette<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>, one of them won the Sweet Nannette<\/i><\/p>\n
The Fantasy Stakes<\/b> – 2 horses exited the Fantasy Stakes<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>, one of them won the Fantasy Stakes<\/i><\/p>\n
Vermont is 4 Lovers<\/b> – 2 horses exited the Vermont is 4 Lovers<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>; no horse has ever won the Vermont is 4 Lovers<\/i> and then won the Oaks<\/i><\/p>\n
Miss Bonnie<\/b> – 1 horses exited the Miss Bonnie<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>; no horse has ever won the Miss Bonnie<\/i> and then won the Oaks<\/i><\/p>\n
Silverbullet Beer<\/b> – \u00a01 horses exited the Silverbullet Beer<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>; no horse has ever won the Silverbullet Beer<\/i> and then won the Oaks<\/i><\/p>\n
Dubai 1000 Guineas<\/b> – 1 horses exited the Dubai 1000 Guineas<\/i> and went on to win the Oaks<\/i>; no horse has ever won the Dubai 1000 Guineas<\/i> and then won the Oaks <\/i><\/p>\n
You can see most of the Oaks<\/i> winners have exited either the Lool Stakes<\/b>, California Oaks<\/b>, <\/b>or The Fantasia<\/b>, or both, suggesting these three Prep\u2019s carry the most weight in the outcome of the Oaks<\/i>.\u00a0 Winning the Fantasia<\/i> qualifies your horse as a major player with three winners of that race going on to win the Oaks<\/i>.\u00a0 Horses that have won the Los Vinegrette<\/b>, <\/b>the Louisiana Oaks<\/b>, <\/b>the Vermont is 4 Lovers<\/b>, the Miss Bonnie<\/b>, the Silverbullet Beer<\/b>, and the Dubai 1000 Guineas <\/b>have never won an Oaks<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at the top 20 Fillies and their road to the Oaks<\/i>:<\/p>\n
Nominated for The Lool Stakes<\/i><\/b> are GOT STREET SMARTS<\/b>, ONE F CURLIN<\/b>, MS. GILL<\/b>, ZEN\u2019S LADY GOLD<\/b>, and SPRAY AND WAL AWAY<\/b>.\u00a0 GOT STREET SMARTS<\/b> is making her first start since Equinics 2018<\/i> and should be in top form for the Oaks<\/i> with a solid showing in the Lool<\/i>.\u00a0 ONE F CURLIN<\/b> gets high marks for her win in the Santa Jezebel<\/b>, a race where two winners went on to win the Oaks<\/i>, however, she would be the first horse to win the Los Vinegrette<\/i> and go on to win the Oaks<\/i>.\u00a0 MS. GILL<\/b> would be the first horse to win the Vermont is 4 Lovers<\/i> and go on to win the Oaks<\/i>, a race that has produced only two previous Oaks<\/i> winners. ZEN\u2019S LADY GOLD<\/b> has only a win in a Listed Stakes, and only one horse has gone on to win the Oaks<\/i> without a major Prep.\u00a0 A top three finish in the Lool<\/i> would brighten up her outlook.\u00a0 SPRAY AND WALK AWAY<\/b> exits the Vermont<\/i> and would need a top three Lool<\/i> finish to bolster her chances in the Oaks<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Look for GOT STREET SMARTS <\/b>and ONE F CURLIN <\/b>to have the most impact in the Lool Stakes<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Nominated for the California Oaks<\/i><\/b> are TAKE WHAT\u2019s GIVEN<\/b>, SEPOY\u2019S LADY<\/b>, BEER AND BEER<\/b>, GRACEBROOK<\/b>, POWERFULLY DYNAMIC<\/b>, TUDOR WIT<\/b> and UPSTATE BORN<\/b>.<\/p>\n
TAKE WHAT\u2019S GIVEN<\/b> is another that is making her first start since Equinics 2018<\/i> and would get high marks with a top three finish in the California Oaks<\/i>.\u00a0 SEPOY\u2019S LADY<\/b> was third in the Los Vinegrette<\/i> and should be well poised for a top three finish in the California Derby<\/i>.\u00a0 BEER AND BEER<\/b> has two starts as a 3yo, the last coming in Equinics 2018<\/i>.\u00a0 No knocks; but she faces a tough task and a top three finish would paint a brighter picture. GRACEBROOK<\/b> was the winner of the Miss Bonnie<\/i>, a race that has produced only one Oaks<\/i> winner, but she\u2019s good and there is a first time for everything.\u00a0 POWERFULLY DYNAMIC<\/b> was the winner of the Lady Bourbon<\/i>, she would be the first horse to exit the Lady Bourbon<\/i> and go on to win the Oaks<\/i>.\u00a0 TUDOR WIT<\/b> makes her first start in a major prep in the California Derby<\/i>.\u00a0 \u00a0UPSTATE BORN<\/b> exits the Los Vinegrette<\/i>, a race that produced three Oaks<\/i> winners.<\/p>\n
This race is wide open, and I would not be surprised to see a stranger emerge victorious.\u00a0 Slight edge to TAKE WHAT\u2019S GIVEN<\/b> and SEPOY\u2019S LADY <\/b>in what should be a hotly contested affair.<\/p>\n
CURLIN\u2019s LADY<\/b> and OTTO SWITCH<\/b> have the Bluegrass Derby<\/i> is their sights and are entered in the All Saints Lock Prep<\/i> and Corkscrew Lock Prep<\/i> respectively.<\/p>\n
SIEGE OF YORKTOWN<\/b> is entered in the G3 We Get Signal Stakes<\/i>, a prep with no history relating to the Oaks<\/i>.<\/p>\n
SHADES OF LIFE<\/b>, winner of the Louisiana Derby<\/i> and TIFFIN<\/b>, runner-up in Equinics 2018 remain uncommitted currently.\u00a0 SHADES OF LIFE <\/b>would be the first horse to win the Louisiana Derby<\/i> and go on to win the Oaks<\/i>.\u00a0 TIFFIN<\/b> could be considered a major player, but will need a prep.<\/p>\n
SCARNECCHIA<\/b> exits the Vermont is 4 Lovers<\/i> and is currently uncommitted.<\/p>\n
WAVE AT LIAM<\/b> was 2nd<\/sup> in the Santa Jezabel<\/i>, a race that has produced three winners, and she would be the first horse to win the Silverbullet Beer<\/i> and capture an Oaks<\/i> victory.\u00a0 Bubble horse that can use a top three finish in a major prep to make the Oaks<\/i> field.<\/p>\n MATCHING EMPIRE<\/b> finished 3rd<\/sup> in the Dubai 1000 Guineas<\/i>, and although the Dubai<\/i> hasn\u2019t had an inpactful presence in the Oaks<\/i>, the next trip for MATCHING EMPIRE <\/b>is the Fantasia<\/i>, a race that has produced 6 Oaks<\/i> winners.<\/p>\n IN CONCLUSION<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n The Lool<\/i><\/b> has produced the most Oaks winners, and this year\u2019s field looks stacked.\u00a0 Laden with talent, don\u2019t be surprised if the Lool<\/i> produces its\u2019 Tenth Bluegrass Oaks winner.<\/p>\n Sleeper Pick<\/b>… MATCHING EMPIRE <\/b>is the only horse in the top twenty to be entered in the Fantasia<\/i>, a race that is renowned for producing Bluegrass Oaks<\/i> winners.\u00a0 Strong consideration goes to the winner of the Fantasia<\/i>, she just might be your next Three-Year Old Queen<\/i>.<\/p>\n Good Luck to all the trainers and owners.<\/p>\n Remember this article is based on the history of the past Oaks winners and the preps that got them there.\u00a0 It\u2019s up to you to re-write history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I thought this year I would try and focus some attention to the Fillies that are on the Bluegrass Oaks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":443,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/443"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44732"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44737,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44732\/revisions\/44737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}