Resplendence has now drawn the inside post three races in a row in big fields. The first two times resulted in front-running wins at Turfway Park. She’ll try to extend her streak in the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday’s marquee card of the meet. The Bourbonette, at 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta, drew a field of 12, although at least one scratch is expected, with trainer Kenny McPeek saying cross-entered Maximum Offer will run in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks. The Bourbonette awards its top finishers points toward the May 1 Kentucky Oaks on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis. While several alums of this race have gone on to solid accomplishments, it has not had the same impact on the Oaks that its brother race, the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby, has had on the Kentucky Derby – although last year’s winner, Bless the Broken, was third in the Oaks. The trend may continue this year, as six of the expected 11 Bourbonette runners are not current Oaks nominees, although they could still be made eligible before a late deadline next month. Resplendence, Bonne Chance Farm’s homebred daughter of Justify trained by Paulo Lobo, was a six-length maiden winner at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 15 at Turfway in her fourth career start. She then picked up 20 points toward the Oaks by again controlling the tempo for a 2 3/4-length win in the one-mile Cincinnati Trophy on Feb. 20. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “She couldn’t be doing any better,” Lobo said. “She’s training very well.” The scratch of Maximum Offer, who prefers to be forwardly placed, helps Resplendence, who could still have company up front from a fresh Scratch It, who will be making her season debut. Scratch It won her debut on the lead and was Grade 3-placed on turf last season. Still, Resplendence has shown the ability to finish well regardless of pace. In the Cincinnati Trophy, she got away with uncontested splits of 25 seconds for the opening quarter and 59.82 for the half, albeit on a track Lobo opined was playing slower after Turfway lost several weeks of training and racing due to winter weather. In her maiden win, her early fractions were 23.90 and 49.19. It will be up to Alberto Burgos, aboard again after those wins, to choose how to ration or use her speed. “He knows her very well,” Lobo said. “I’m going to let him decide. Of course, it’s going to be a tougher race than she has been running, but the final decision, he’s going to make.” Lovely Grey, second in the Cincinnati Trophy, and third-place Resist both return Saturday. Lovely Grey, sixth after the opening half, finished creditably into the slow pace. California shipper La Ville Lumiere showed class on both dirt and turf as a 2-year-old. She was third to Explora, who has continued to be one of the divisional leaders, in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf, and then won the Blue Norther at a mile on turf in December. She was most recently 10th in last month’s Sweet Life Stakes under unfamiliar circumstances, sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita’s hillside turf. “Just was looking for a bridge race to get to the Bourbonette Oaks, and that was all that really made sense for her timing-wise,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. McCarthy noted that La Ville Lumiere had an “exceptional breeze” on a synthetic track prior to her purchase at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale. “We’re kind of going back to what we saw that day on the synthetic with her,” McCarthy said. “She’s a filly that just always gives you 110 percent. Looking forward to seeing if she moves up on the synthetic – she’s certainly trained and looks like a million bucks.” The Bourbonette Oaks is one of three 3-year-old stakes on the Jeff Ruby undercard. The $250,000 Rushaway Stakes, at 1 1/16 miles, provides an intermediate spot for sophomores who aren’t ready for graded company or the 1 1/8-mile distance. Valiant, fourth in the Leonatus Stakes locally, and Steel Imperium, fifth in the John Battaglia Memorial, opt for this spot rather than pressing on to the Ruby. Rhythm Lady, who is coming off an eight-length win in a restricted maiden race at a mile on Feb. 25, gets a weight allowance as a filly. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Sprinters will meet in the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes. This marks the 3-year-old debut for the well-regarded Outfielder, winner of 2 of 4 starts last year and a creditable fourth in the Group 1 Prix Morny in France for Wesley Ward. In his last race, Outfielder set the pace and folded in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at a mile. Ward also has entered Longshoreman, second after setting a blistering pace in the Grade 3 Futurity last fall. Ward removes Longshoreman’s blinkers, which could help him ease him back some. Hometown Bound won the Turfway Prevue on Jan. 3 for Jorge Duarte. Small Town, trained by McCarthy, was a debut winner at six furlongs here in January, then was sixth trying a mile in allowance/optional-claiming company last month, after most locals lost training due to winter weather. “Wasn’t crazy about the trip he got, and maybe the stretch-out might have been a bit much for him,” McCarthy said. “We’re cutting back a fast horse.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.