Celeritas brings big Beyer into Kansas Oaks

Creek Woman and Celeritas, who each has won a race by more than 10 lengths this year, meet in the $20,000 Kansas Oaks at The Woodlands.

Creek Woman was a 14-length winner at Sunday's mile and-70-yard distance in her last start, when she captured the Kansas Thoroughbred Association Oaks. It was the third win in five starts for Creek Woman, who will meet her biggest challenge to date in Celeritas.

Celeritas invades from Prairie Meadows, where she was a 13 1/4-length winner of a first-level allowance on Aug. 20. She rallied to finish third in the $75,000 Prairie Meadows Oaks Sept. 15 in her stakes debut. Celeritas earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 87, which is the top last-race number in the field of seven.

She tends to stalk the pace, and figures to be coming for Creek Woman, who has used wire-to-wire tactics to win each of her last two starts. Creek Woman won a seven-furlong allowance at Arapahoe on July 29 in her start immediately preceding the KTA Oaks, earning a 71 Beyer.

Ken Shino has the mount on Creek Woman for trainer Kenneth Gleason. Alex Birzer will ride Celeritas for trainer Jason Mamakos.

Other contenders include Salty Wonder, who earlier this year raced at Del Mar. Her last start came at Albuquerque, where she was fourth in a first-level allowance.