Golden Doc A seeks rebound

Golden Doc A will make her debut for trainer Greg Fox when she takes on 10 other 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 2, $400,000 Indiana Oaks at Hoosier Park on Friday. The 1 1/16-mile Oaks begins the biggest weekend of the meet, which includes Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby.

There will be a special first post of 3 p.m. Eastern on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Golden Doc A, scored her biggest win last February in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita. Her sternest opposition in the Oaks should come from Sky Mom, who is coming off a victory in the Grade 3 Arlington Oaks.

Fox took over the care of Golden Doc A from Barry Abrams about three weeks ago. He has been impressed with his new charge.

"She is a remarkable racehorse," Fox, 46, said. "She is so professional and dedicated and determined. I am very excited about this upcoming race. I think we are in a good spot."

Following her win in the Las Virgenes, Golden Doc A ran second, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks. Her next start came in the Grade 2 Beaumont at Keeneland, where she finished second by a length. She then ran fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, but had a lot of traffic trouble. In her most recent start, Golden Doc A finished fourth in the Torrey Pines at Del Mar after making a nice middle move.

"I watched her races, and she had a bad trip in the [Kentucky] Oaks," Fox said, "and she really ran big in her last out considering her hellacious trip.

"The Torrey Pines was really a rough-run race. She was stuck down inside for a long time and when she finally got out, she made a big move."

Golden Doc A has had two nice works since that effort, her last a bullet four furlongs in 47.80 seconds on Sept. 23 at the Thoroughbred Training Center outside Lexington, Ky.

Jesus Castanon will ride Golden Doc A for the first time in the Oaks. Fox said he also planned to enter her in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday, but was confident she would run in the Oaks.

Sky Mom will be well backed as she enters off her third stakes win of the year, the Arlington Oaks. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Sky Mom has run at six tracks in her seven starts this year, finishing first or second on six occasions. Her other wins this year came in the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park and in the WinStar Oaks at Sunland Park. Shaun Bridgmohan will ride.