Brown fillies among top options in deep Florida Oaks

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Her 2-year-old campaign didn’t quite turn out the way Chad Brown would have hoped, but Weigh the Risks is still a filly the trainer holds in high regard. Saturday, Weigh the Risks returns from a six-month layoff in a seemingly deep renewal of the Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Florida Oaks, at 1 1/16 miles on turf, drew a full field of 12 3-year-old fillies.

Weigh the Risks, sent off the even-money favorite in a field of 10 in her Aug. 6 debut at Saratoga, was wide on both turns and was outfinished a neck by Ozara, who would go on to become a multiple stakes winner. In her second start on Sept. 3, Weigh the Risks again had a wide trip, didn’t change leads, and got up by a head for the win.

“She had a nightmare trip first time out and then she won kind of workmanlike in her second start,” said Brown, who has won the Florida Oaks three times. “She came out of the race with chips in both front ankles, which kind of explained that. I went ahead and cleaned her up, rested her, and she has come back good. She trains brilliantly good.”

Weigh the Risks will break from post 10, one stall inside of Brown’s other runner in the race, Dynamic Pricing, who comes in off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park where she was beaten a half-length by Life’s an Audible.

“She ran good,” Brown said. “Have always liked her.”

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Style Points, who finished second in the Sweetest Chant, will start from post 7. Style Points was favored in a 12-horse field at Aqueduct last November but finished eighth in a maiden race won by Dynamic Pricing.

Austere, trained by Brendan Walsh, won her first two starts, including the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies. She finished fifth, beaten two lengths by Hard to Justify, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“I thought she ran a really solid race,” Walsh said of the Breeders’ Cup. “She’s done nothing wrong since we started her. Hopefully, she can continue and be a nice 3-year-old. She’s not an overly big filly, but she’s gotten stronger, filled out like you’d want her to, and she’s been working great.”

Tyler Gaffalione rides Austere from post 6.

Waskesiu won her maiden going 1 1/16 miles on turf at Aqueduct last November and then finished third to Ozara in the Ginger Brew Stakes going a mile on Jan. 6. Waskesiu missed some training after that but has had four breezes since Feb. 2.

Trainer Mark Casse has three entered in here, topped by Witwatersrand, who won the Mazarine Stakes at Woodbine last November on synthetic. Casse tried her on the dirt in the Grade 3 Forward Gal, but she finished last of six. Casse said he is looking forward to getting her on turf, though she will have to overcome post 12.

Casse’s other runners are Dancing N Dixie, sixth at 59-1 in the Ginger Brew, and Crevalle d’Oro, who is coming off a maiden win in her fifth career try.

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Destiny Star, trained by Tim Hamm, is coming off a solid 4 1/2-length win going a mile over the Tampa turf. She has won two straight, but both wins came on Lasix, medication that is not permitted to be used in stakes.

Poolside With Slim is coming off an authoritative victory over Gulfstream’s synthetic surface on Feb. 3. A Primera Vista, an allowance winner over Tampa’s turf on Jan. 3, and Pharoah’s Wine, sixth in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant, complete the field.

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