Fashion Plate eyes Oaks
DEL MAR, Calif. – Fashion Plate, the winner of two Grade 1 races at Santa Anita this year, worked a half-mile in 46.80 seconds Saturday. For now, she is a candidate for the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks over 1 1/8 miles on turf Aug. 16.
No turf racing was held at Del Mar over the weekend, and turf racing will not resume until this coming Saturday because of a series of breakdowns and concern over the firmness of the course. Trainer Simon Callaghan said he is hopeful that the issues that have plagued the course will be resolved through a track maintenance program this week.
“We’re keeping the Oaks as an option,” he said. “It’s the only race we can run in here. If we’re 100 percent certain in our horses, we’ll run here.”
Owned by Arnold Zetcher and Michael Tabor, Fashion Plate won the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks this year but was 11th in the Kentucky Oaks and ninth in the Acorn Stakes in her last two starts. The Del Mar Oaks will be Fashion Plate’s first start on turf.