Fashion Plate considering Oaks, Rancho Bernardo

DEL MAR, Calif. – Fashion Plate will run in a graded stakes at Del Mar next weekend, but trainer Simon Callaghan is undecided between Saturday’s $300,000 Del Mar Oaks over 1 1/8 miles on turf or Sunday’s $150,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap for fillies and mares over 6 1/2 furlongs. Fashion Plate may be entered in both races before a decision is made, possibly as late as Saturday.

“I think we’ll consider both races,” he said Sunday.

Earlier this year, Fashion Plate won consecutive Grade 1 races for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita for owners Michael Tabor and Arnold Zetcher – the Las Virgenes Stakes over a mile in February and the Santa Anita Oaks over 1 1/16 miles in April. She finished 11th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in May and was ninth of 13 in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park on June 7.

Fashion Plate has never run on turf, and Callaghan was desperate to work on the surface in advance of the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. Del Mar officials cancelled all turf works for the rest of the meeting July 31 following a series of injuries on the course from July 17 through 31.

The course underwent maintenance to soften conditions in the first week of August. Turf racing resumed Saturday, which was little consolation to Callaghan. On Sunday, Fashion Plate worked five furlongs on the Polytrack synthetic surface in 1:00.40.

“She’s fit, but this is off a layoff,” he said of her comeback. “We haven’t been able to work on the turf, which for me is nonsensical since they’re running on it. She’s a dual Grade 1 winner. That’s disappointing.”

Both races will have tough fields.

The Del Mar Oaks may include Sea Queen, the runner-up in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks on July 5, as well as Diversy Harbor, Famous Alice, Istanford, My Conquestadory, and Odisseia. Istanford, who won the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap on July 19, is a candidate for Friday’s Sandy Blue Handicap over a mile on turf.

The Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap is led by Reneesgotzip, unraced since finishing second against males in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita. Other candidates are Amaranth, Living the Life, Madame Cactus, and Sagebrush Queen.