Farrell rising to top of her class

The news this week that Unique Bella, the fastest filly of her generation, was out of the Kentucky Oaks with an apparently minor injury totally changed the divisional landscape. A week ago, Farrell, the best 3-year-old filly at Fair Grounds, had Unique Bella blocking her path, but with another strong performance Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks, Farrell will go to Kentucky as one of the favorites for the Oaks at Churchill Downs.

“Sometimes it’s whoever is the last man standing,” said Wayne Catalano, who trains Farrell, a homebred by Malibu Moon, for Coffeepot Stables.

Farrell is one of eight entered in the Fair Grounds Oaks, but no more than six will run since Summer Luck didn’t ship from Florida and Majestic Quality stayed home in California. The race, the 10th of 15 on Saturday’s card, will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on dirt and is the third leg in an all-stakes pick four.

Farrell enters on a three-race winning streak, having captured the Golden Rod last November at Churchill Downs by six lengths and the Silverbulletday and Rachel Alexandra at this meet. Farrell won the Silverbulletday by 2 3/4 lengths while not looking especially strong but probably was underdone for that start and might not have cared for a wet track.

The filly, who can be unruly at times, was better behaved in the paddock before the Rachel Alexandra and turned in a stronger performance, earning a career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure while winning by 3 1/2 lengths. Farrell jumped tracks on the surface and changed leads late but otherwise did nothing wrong in a front-running gem.

“The filly is sassy and ready to roll. She’s put on about 50 or 75 pounds since her last race,” Catalano said Thursday. “She’s kind of blossoming. She stood perfect in the gate this morning and stood perfect in the paddock the other day. She’s way better than she was about that stuff.”

Outside of Farrell, Daria’s Angel turned in the best two-turn dirt race by a 2- or 3-year-old filly at this meet when she won a Feb. 18 maiden race, her first start over a route of ground, by eight lengths. Trainer Bret Calhoun wanted to bring Daria’s Angel back in an allowance race that never attracted enough entries to be used.

“She’s a filly we always were very high on,” Calhoun said. “Before I went to Saratoga last summer, she was brilliant in the mornings, but she kind of tailed off on me before she ever started. But she’s very sharp now. She led last time, but she’s more versatile than people think. She has options.”

Florent Geroux rode Daria’s Angel in her maiden win but gives way to Robby Albarado, with Geroux moving to the Florida shipper Corporate Queen. Purchased privately by Gary Barber following a Laurel debut win (a half-interest subsequently was sold to Bobby Flay), Corporate Queen closed steadily on the favored Nonna Bella in a seven-furlong Gulfstream allowance race March 10 before quickly passing her on the gallop-out.

“Our filly is just learning,” trainer Mark Casse said. “It’s tough to make a move like she did at Gulfstream. You never know till you try, but if I were a betting man, I’d think first time two turns would be a plus.”

The California shipper Vexatious is not without a chance. She beat Majestic Quality while running in spots and racing two turns for the first time in her second start, and last out, in a Santa Anita allowance race against males, Vexatious lost all chance when buried on the rail around the far turn. She finished decently for third and is a well-bred sister to Creative Cause and Destin.