Daddys Lil Darling earns a rest with American Oaks win

ARCADIA, Calif. - After a hectic 2017 that included starts at seven tracks, Daddys Lil Darling earned a vacation after her win in Saturday’s Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita.

Trainer Ken McPeek said Daddys Lil Darling will have a 45-day rest in south Florida before she resumes training for a 4-year-old season in 2018.

"We’ll point for the spring, maybe something at Keeneland,” he said.

Daddys Lil Darling has earned a rest. The American Oaks was her first win in a Grade 1 in her seventh career start in such a race. She was second in three Grade 1 races earlier this year, notably the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in May and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October.

McPeek thought through the season that Daddys Lil Darling would win a Grade 1, but did not expect to wait until the second-to-last day of the year to accomplish the goal.

“What are you going to do but keep trying,” McPeek said. “It was a bit frustrating because she was always competitive, but didn’t have things go her way.

“She tries hard on any kind of going, and that makes a trainer’s job pretty easy.”

Owned by breeder Nancy Polk, who races as Normandy Farm, Daddys Lil Darling has won 4 of 15 starts and earned $1,138,405. It is easy to envision her running at the highest level in 2018, and developing into a contender for Grade 1 turf races such as the Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington Park in August or the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3.

There is always the possibility of a start on the main track. In the Kentucky Oaks, Daddys Lil Darling was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Abel Tasman.

“I think she’s adaptable,” McPeek said. “We could run her on dirt. It doesn’t matter.”