Coach, Joy's Rocket square off in Martha Washington

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Brad Cox struck first in Oaklawn’s series for 3-year-olds last Friday, when Caddo River earned 10 points for the Kentucky Derby with his win in the Smarty Jones.

Now, the trainer will attempt to secure the meet’s first Kentucky Oaks points when he sends out Coach in the $200,000 Martha Washington on Saturday.

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The one-mile race for 3-year-old fillies, which ends at the sixteenth pole, will reward its first four finishers eligibility points on a scale of 10-4-2-1. The other Kentucky Oaks points races at the meet are the Honeybee on March 6 and the Fantasy on April 3.

The Martha Washington will be showcased on a card that also includes the $150,000 American Beauty. A 5 1/2-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, the American Beauty drew the multiple stakes winners Amy’s Challenge and Frank’s Rockette.

Coach is part of a field of six for the Martha Washington. Her rivals include Joy’s Rocket, a three-time stakes winner who is 4 for 6; Lady Lilly, a daughter of Nyquist who ran third in the Grade 1 Spinaway last summer at Saratoga; and the promising Sylvia Q, Will’s Secret, and Novel Squall.

Coach won the first three starts of her career by a combined margin of 16 1/2 lengths, including the $98,000 Rags to Riches at a two-turn 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs. She’s made one additional start, finishing third in the Grade 2 Golden Rod on Nov. 28 at Churchill.

“She had a really good fall,” Cox said. “She was able to win a stakes there at Churchill, and I thought she ran really well in the Golden Rod. She’s been training well at Oaklawn, appears to like the track.”

Coach is a daughter of Commissioner owned by Kueber Racing. She will break from post 3 under Florent Geroux, and could get a stalking trip Saturday.

“It looks like there’s some speed in there,” Cox said. “A few horses look like they have sprint speed, at that. Hopefully, we’ll be able to stay closer to the leaders. We’ll see how it goes.”

Joy’s Rocket is making her two-turn debut. She will break from the rail.

Joy’s Rocket has won the My Dear at Woodbine, the Songbird at Keeneland, and the Letellier Memorial at Fair Grounds, which came in her most recent start Dec. 19. The Beyer Speed Figure of 85 that she earned last time is the best career number in the Martha Washington.

Joy’s Rocket is a daughter of Anthony’s Cross, who was a Grade 2 winner at two turns in the Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita. The filly races for Team Hanley and Parkland Thoroughbreds. Ricardo Santana Jr. once again has the mount for trainer Steve Asmussen.

American Beauty Stakes

Amy’s Challenge has been a popular runner at Oaklawn ever since she won the Dixie Belle as a 3-year-old in 2018. The 6-year-old mare is back Saturday looking for a second win in the American Beauty, which she captured by more than five lengths in 2019. Amy’s Challenge enters this year’s renewal off a 2 1/4-length win in the $150,000 McConnell Springs on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

“We gave her a little break after the race at Keeneland,” said Mac Robertson, who trains Amy’s Challenge for Novogratz Racing Stables. “She’s worked well, really four times, here at Oaklawn.”

Amy’s Challenge is part of a field of nine that includes multiple Grade 2 winner Frank’s Rockette, who is making her first start since an 11th-place finish against male rivals in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. Wildwood’s Beauty, a four-time stakes winner who was third in the McConnell Springs, adds further depth to the American Beauty. Lady’s Island invades from Gulfstream Park off a second consecutive win in that track’s Grade 3 Sugar Swirl on Dec. 12.

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The strength of the field suggests the division could be a fun one this meet, as Oaklawn has boosted purses for its sprint stakes for older females. The next race in the series, the Spring Fever on Feb. 27, is now worth $200,000, while the Carousel on April 10 is worth $250,000.

Amy’s Challenge might run in all three, Robertson said.

“It’s something she’s familiar with,” Robertson said. “She’s run well at Oaklawn. She knows where the wire is.”

But the first order of business, Robertson said, comes Saturday in the American Beauty. Amy’s Challenge will break from post 6 under Francisco Arrieta, with two of her chief pace rivals, Frank’s Rockette and Lady’s Island, breaking to her outside Saturday.

“We’ll see what happens,” Robertson said.

Frank’s Rockette will break from post 7, with trainer Bill Mott giving the mount to Florent Geroux. The daughter of Into Mischief races for the Arkansas-based Frank Fletcher.

Lady’s Island drew post 9.