American Oaks favorite Spanish Queen has made rapid ascent
ARCADIA, Calif. – In less than three months, Spanish Queen has gone from winning a maiden race for California-breds in her debut in early March to the role of favorite in Saturday’s $400,000 American Oaks at Santa Anita.
Spanish Queen has grown up quickly and given trainer Richard Baltas confidence that she can win the Grade 1 American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies.
“She’s telling us she’s ready,” Baltas said on Thursday. “Why not take a chance with that money?”
Spanish Queen lost her stakes debut when second in the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes in April and rebounded to win the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf May 3. She is the leader of a weak California 3-year-old filly division on turf.
Of the seven fillies in the American Oaks, only two are based in California. Sharla Rae, second in the Honeymoon for trainer Doug O’Neill, is part of the field. The other five fillies are trained in Kentucky or New York by Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher, and Al Stall Jr.
Brown entered three – Consumer Credit, Mrs McDougal, and Strict Compliance – and said this week that Strict Compliance will race at Penn National on Saturday. Pletcher starts Feathered, the winner of the Grade 3 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 1, while Stall starts the outsider in the field, the maiden-race winner Dating Lady Luck.
American Oaks, race 5
KEY CONTENDERS
Spanish Queen (Last 3 Beyers: 95-87-77)
◗ Spanish Queen closed from third in the Honeymoon to win by 1 1/2 lengths and rebounded from the race quickly, Baltas said.
“She hasn’t missed a beat,” Baltas said.
◗ Owned by breeders Jack Nakkashian, Harry Bederian, and Harout Kamberian, Spanish Queen will be ridden by regular rider Brice Blanc and is likely to race from just off the pace.
“Brice said she’s handy,” Baltas said. “She’s got a great turn of foot.”
Mrs McDougal (Last 3 Beyers: 88-74-73)
◗ The American Oaks will be the stakes debut for Mrs McDougal, who might set the pace. Mrs McDougal won an allowance race at a mile on turf at Aqueduct on April 24 in her last start.
“We’ve always thought highly of her,” Brown said this week from New York. “Her last race was her best to date. She seems to move forward.”
Consumer Credit (Last 3 Beyers: 82-88-81)
◗ Consumer Credit has won three stakes, including her last start – the Memories of Silver Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on yielding turf at Aqueduct on April 23. The American Oaks will be her first start in a Grade 1 and the longest race of her career.
“This distance is a question for her,” Brown said. “Given her accomplishments, she deserves a shot in the Grade 1.”
◗ Brown seeks his first stakes win in California since he had three victories on Breeders’ Cup weekend here last November.
“I’m trying to send two fillies out there that have an equal chance to win,” he said. “Consumer Credit has had three stakes wins and more experience. Mrs McDougal, who might be lightly raced, has shown a lot of promise and the promise to be effective at longer distances. She’s a tall, rangy filly that should appreciate more ground. They deserve a chance.”
Feathered (Last 3 Beyers: 83-74-66)
◗ Feathered won her turf debut in the Edgewood Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by leading throughout for her first stakes win. Last fall, she was fourth, beaten a length, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and later second in the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos.