Actress has challenging role in Delaware Oaks

Actress won her maiden in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico on May 19. On Saturday, she will attempt to move through her first-level eligibility condition in the Grade 3, $300,000 Delaware Oaks.

The 1 1/16-mile Oaks has drawn a field of six, but the race is not an easy spot for Actress, a Gary and Mary West homebred by Tapit out of $1.2 million winner Milwaukee Appeal. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has sent in It Tiz Well, who may go favored.

The Oaks tops a four-stakes card at Delaware that includes the Grade 3 Robert Dick Memorial. The meet will peak next Saturday with the $750,000 Delaware Handicap. Hollendorfer and owner Rick Porter, a Delaware native, are scheduled to start two-time champion Songbird in that race.

Actress finished second in her Gulfstream Park debut to Unchained Melody, who won the Grade 2 Mother Goose last weekend. Although still a maiden, trainer Jason Servis stepped Actress up into a restricted stakes at Gulfstream, where she finished second to My Miss Tapit, who was fourth in the Mother Goose.

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Actress showed a lot of heart to win the Black-Eyed Susan over a saturated racing surface in her third and most recent start. Servis has freshened her since that race, and she comes into the Delaware Oaks off a single half-mile work.

“She’s doing okay,” Servis said. “She ran hard in the Black-Eyed Susan. That was a big race for her to win. She’s such a well-bred filly.”

Nik Juarez, the leading rider at Monmouth Park, keeps the mount.

It Tiz Well had a nightmare journey last time out in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. She was steadied behind horses for a furlong or more on the clubhouse turn and into the backstretch, then attempted to rally up the rail in the stretch but was shut off and had to take back. She finished fifth as the 13-10 favorite but was elevated to fourth when the horse she steadied behind in the stretch was disqualified and placed fifth.

“We did not have much luck in her last race, but she only got beat 2 1/2 lengths,” Hollendorfer said.

In her other starts this year, It Tiz Well finished second to Unique Bella in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez, won an optional claimer, won the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park, and finished third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks.

Drayden Van Dyke will be in from California to ride.

Modacious, trained by John Servis, comes into the Oaks off a second-place finish to Elate in the Light Hearted Stakes at Delaware. Elate was highly impressive that day, and Modacious’s race should not be discounted.

Proud and Fearless has won three straight two-turn races for Larry Jones, whose stable is based at Delaware.

Berned won an optional-claiming race at Monmouth while making her first start since being transferred to Graham Motion. Berned finished second in the Grade 3 Tempted at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old.

You Know Too will be stretching out in distance off a 5 1/2-furlong optional-claiming win at Delaware for Michael Gorham.