Intricate starts on Oaks trail in Walsh's repeat bid

Trainer Brendan Walsh won his first classic race when Pretty Mischievous captured the Kentucky Oaks last year, and when the filly Intricate launches her 3-year-old campaign Saturday at Fair Grounds, Walsh has good reason to hope she, too, can take him to the Oaks.

Intricate finished fifth in her debut, a Sept 16. Churchill Downs sprint, but improved markedly winning a Keeneland dirt-route maiden in October. She then improved again in her 2-year-old finale, splitting horses in upper stretch on the way to a 5 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Golden Rod. She earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure in the Golden Rod, while looking like a horse capable of making another jump in performance level at age 3.

Saturday, Intricate faces six foes, three trained by Brad Cox, in the Grade 2, $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, a key qualifier on the road to the Kentucky Oaks. The Cox trio of Alpine Princess, Tarifa, and West Omaha is formidable, but Intricate has logged five timed workouts this winter at Fair Grounds and, while not fully honed for her first start since Nov. 25, the filly ought to represent herself creditably.

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“I think I have her ready to come back from a little bit of a layoff,” said Walsh, who trains Intricate for Bradley Thoroughbreds and Laura Leigh Stable. “But there still should be something there to improve into her next race, too. She’s doing great right now.”

There’s visual evidence supporting that assertion. A video of Intricate’s Feb. 3 five-furlong drill in 1:00.20 shows the filly giving the good older horse Banishing more than he could handle. Her finish in the drill was smooth and strong, her gallop-out very impressive. She had her final Rachel Alexandra breeze Feb. 10 going a half-mile in 48.40 seconds behind two workmates, Walsh said.

“Obviously, we had [a] good one last year in Pretty Mischievous,” who is stabled in Florida and nearing her first breeze of 2024. “Hopefully, this filly can go in the same direction,” Walsh said.

While Intricate can put herself fully onto the Oaks trail Saturday, the talented Walsh-trained 3-year-old colt Snead will miss an intended Saturday start in the Risen Star.

Snead won a Nov. 23 Fair Grounds first-level allowance by more than seven lengths and was an encouraging closing second behind Track Phantom in the Dec. 23 Gun Runner. Snead worked a half-mile on Jan. 20 but subsequently was taken out of training with “an issue we had to look into that looks pretty minor,” Walsh said. Snead currently is galloping at Turfway Park, according to his trainer, though Walsh didn’t rule out a return to Fair Grounds for the Louisiana Derby.

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