Coach seeks third consecutive victory in Bayakoa

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Coach will defend her home base against Southern California invader Queen Goddess in a competitive renewal of the Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

The 1 1/16-mile race had originally been scheduled for last Saturday, but a winter storm led to the cancellation of the raceweek and also cost locals four days of training. The Bayakoa was redrawn and now shares a card with the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap.

The same seven fillies and mares from the original Bayakoa entered back for Saturday’s redrawn race, but Mariah’s Princess has now been scratched.

Coach has captured both the $150,000 Pippin on Jan. 8 and an allowance on Dec. 17 in her two starts this meet at Oaklawn. The races were her first since a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks.

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Coach won at a mile in the Pippin and now moves back to the distance of her allowance win. She led throughout in the Pippin, when she broke from the rail on a sloppy track. In her allowance win, she settled off the pace and rallied to win in the mud from post 7.

Coach drew post 7 for Saturday’s race. She’s defeated a few of her rivals in her last two starts, taking the allowance over Jilted Bride and the Pippin over Miss Bigly.

The Pippin has become a key race, with two next-out winners emerging. The third-place finisher, W W Fitzy, came back to win an Oaklawn allowance with a Beyer Speed Figure of 86, and the fourth-place finisher, Breeze Rider, won the Jersey Lily Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park with a Beyer of 88

Coach earned a career-high Beyer of 91 for her effort in the Pippin.

Ricardo Santana Jr. was aboard and again has the mount for Kueber Racing and trainer Brad Cox.

Queen Goddess became a stakes winner in her 3-year-old finale last out, when she won the off-the-turf American Oaks over 1 1/4 miles Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. She earned a Beyer of 95, which is the best number in the Bayakoa.

The Grade 1 American Oaks marked the dirt debut for Queen Goddess after she made her first five starts on the grass. David Cabrera has the mount on the daughter of Empire Maker from post 6 for trainer Michael McCarthy. Queen Goddess had previously drawn post 5.

Queen Goddess races for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and TOLO Thoroughbreds.

The field also includes Matera, who is starting her season off a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Chilukki on Nov. 20 at Churchill Downs.

The stakes winners Miss Bigly and She’s All Wolfe add further depth to the field alongside the Grade 3-placed Jilted Bride.