Farrell taking New Orleans route to Kentucky Oaks

Farrell, who won the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes in visually impressive fashion Saturday at Churchill Downs, will take the extreme southern route on her quest to make the 2017 Kentucky Oaks.

Trainer Wayne Catalano runs winter strings at Oaklawn Park and Fair Grounds and said Tuesday that Farrell is headed to New Orleans and will begin her 3-year-old campaign there next year.

“They’ve got a nice program for 3-year-old fillies,” Catalano said.

Farrell, who has made four starts, probably will not contest the Silverbulletday Stakes in January, Catalano said, and her Fair Grounds campaign likely will include the Feb. 25 Rachel Alexandra Stakes and the Fair Grounds Oaks on April 1.

“We’re probably going to aim for two races before the [Kentucky] Oaks,” Catalano said. “That’s kind of what we’re looking at. We don’t have to run that much. We’ll give her a little bit of a breather, keep her in light training. Fair Grounds is a good place to train.”

Farrell, a Coffeepot Stables homebred, is by Malibu Moon and out of Rebridled Dreams, making her a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Carpe Diem. Farrell was bet to favoritism but finished fourth debuting Sept. 17 at Churchill, and two weeks later won a maiden race there by five lengths. On Oct. 30, she finished third in the Rags to Riches Stakes, but making her two-turn debut in the Golden Rod, Farrell rated kindly on the lead and drew steadily away from 11 rivals to win in a romp.

“I’ve liked her from the beginning,” Catalano said. “There’s plenty of talent there. We saw that the other day. She was incredible in the paddock. I’ve never seen one look like that. She walked in with her head half-bowed, prancing but not crazy. She can be very high-strung filly. She’s a handful. She made one step forward already. She’s still got to make the next step.”

While Farrell soon will join Catalano’s string at Fair Grounds, Family Tree already is there and is set to continue her career next year at age 4, though exactly when and where isn’t certain. Family Tree got a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 95 winning the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks on Nov. 23 by more than eight lengths. Family Tree was a distant third in the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga after capturing the $200,000 Iowa Oaks and the Grade 2, $200,000 Indiana Oaks earlier in the summer. Catalano and owners Gary and Mary West will seek a Grade 1 win for Family Tree next year, and the obvious early-season goal would be the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn.

Catalano also sent out the fourth-place finisher Saturday at Churchill in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, Uncontested, who set the pace and faded a bit, but held on well considering he had only a 6 1/2-furlong debut win under his belt. Uncontested still is in Kentucky, and Catalano said it was uncertain whether the colt would winter at Oaklawn or Fair Grounds.