Brilliant Cut to scratch from Santa Anita Oaks

Brilliant Cut, who was the longest shot on the morning line among five 3-year-old fillies in the Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday afternoon, will be a stakes scratch from the race, trainer Doug O'Neill informed Saturday morning.

Her absence leaves the Oaks field at four, meaning every runner in the race will now pick up points toward a berth in the Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs. The field is headed by Beautiful Gift and Moraz, one-two last time out in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel, the local prep for the Grade 2 Oaks.

Brilliant Cut was second most recently in an optional-claiming turf sprint in which she used her first-level allowance condition. In her only previous stakes try in a two-turn dirt race, she was fourth of five in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes in February.

The Santa Anita Oaks is race 6 on a 12-race card and thus is not part of the mandatory payout sequence in the Rainbow pick six.

:: Get Brad Free’s Betting Strategies for Saturday’s card at Santa Anita