Charles Town: Amie's Dini, Book Review look to rebound in Oaks

Five fillies who chased Contested home in last month’s Grade 1 Test at Saratoga will face each other again in Saturday night’s $400,000 Charles Town Oaks. Among that group, trip handicappers may have their eyes focused on two of the also-rans who raced far back throughout the seven-furlong Test.

Amie’s Dini, who has been second or third in a trio of graded stakes this season, and Book Review, who paired up 98 Beyer Speed Figures during June and July, may be strong rebound candidates among 10 3-year-old fillies in the feature on an 11-race all-stakes program. Purses on the card total $865,000 and it begins an hour earlier than usual at 6 p.m. Eastern. The Oaks goes as race 10 at 10:40.

The Race for the Ribbon program is co-sponsored by the West Virginia affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation to benefit breast cancer research.

Amie’s Dinie, coming off a third-place finish behind the talented Grace Hall in the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks, hinted she was sitting on a big race when she worked out at Saratoga a week before the Test and turned in a best-of-33 four-furlong move in 46.20 seconds. In the race itself, however, Amie’s Dini didn’t displayed her customary early speed and raced near the back of the pack while finishing sixth of 10.

“She had a really rough trip,” said trainer Ron Moquett. “She came out of there with a bunch of nicks and cuts. She really got beat up in that race.”

Book Review was sent off at 2-1 in the Test on the basis of her back-to-back fast efforts at Belmont Park and Saratoga which included a second to Questing, who has gone on to win a pair of Grade 1 races and looms the favorite in Saturday’s $1 million Cotillion at Parx. Book Review broke out and got bumped at the start of the Test and was never competiitive while finishing seventh.

A cleaner trip under regular river Javier Castellano may be all Book Review needs to take the Oaks.

The others coming out of the Test in the Oaks field are Well Kept, fourth at 71-1 in her first try beyond 6 1/2 furlongs; Jazzy Idea (fifth), who was second in the Lady Charles Town in June; and Beautiful But Blue, whose five-race winning streak against New York-breds ended when she finished third.

“We just hope the filly shows up,” New York-based trainer Tom Busher said of Beautiful But Blue, the 4-1 second choice on the track’s program. “She had an easy five-eighths the other day and is doing well.”

The field also includes Doe, winner of the Lady Charles Town; Say a Novena, winner of the Miss Woodford at Monmouth last time out; and Holiday Soiree, who won her only previous try going seven furlongs, which came at Churchill Downs in mid-June.