The Alys Look getting Kentucky Oaks glances
Trainer Brad Cox won the Honeybee Stakes on Feb. 25 at Oaklawn with Wet Paint, who’s getting a lot of love as a Kentucky Oaks candidate. But Cox might have a better Oaks hopeful stabled in New Orleans, where The Alys Look is working strongly for the Fair Grounds Oaks on March 25.
The Aly’s Look on March 4 worked five furlongs at Fair Grounds in 1:00.20, fastest of 31 works at the distance that morning. The breeze came just six days after the filly had drilled a half-mile. “She worked great,” Cox said.
The Alys Look won a Dec. 1 maiden route at Fair Grounds by seven lengths, then was second, beaten 3 1/2 lengths by Pretty Mischievous in the Dec. 26 Untapable Stakes. With Pretty Mischievous sitting out the Jan. 18 Silverbulletday day to await the Feb. 25 Rachel Alexandra, which she won, The Alys Look took a big step forward winning the Silverbulletday by one length, bumping her top Beyer Speed Figure from 75 to 89. Connections passed on the Rachel Alexandra to give The Alys Look time to recover, which, according to her trainer, she has done.
Loveberry suffers hairline fracture
When Jareth Loveberry was thrown out the back of the starting gate before the fourth race on March 1 after his mount, Not On Herb, reared up, he thought he had suffered a relatively minor injury.
Loveberry went to the hospital mainly as a precaution, but found out he had a fractured tibia. That was a piece of bad news, but Loveberry the next day was told the fracture was only of the hairline variety, and that he could be reevaluated in two weeks.
Loveberry, however, had an appointment in Chicago on March 8 and was cleared to resume riding, he said in text message Wednesday. Loveberry plans to work a horse Thursday at Hawthorne and see how he feels, and if all is well he could return to riding next week.
Loveberry was in the midst of a strong Fair Grounds meet during his second season riding regularly at the track. His 46 winners are one more than James Graham’s total going into the March 8 race card, and second only to Reylu Gutierrez. Gutierrez has gone on another good streak recently and was up to 58 winners entering this racing week.
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