Jones has pair of favorites for Kentucky Oaks

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Oaks has been very, very good to Larry Jones.

His first Oaks contender, Island Sand, finished second to Ashado in 2004, and from that particular race onward, for whatever reason, Jones’s training career finally skyrocketed, more than two decades after he saddled his first horse in 1982. From 2003, when his horses made $806,085, his stable earnings increased more than sevenfold in 2007 to $5,931,956.

Since then, Jones has won the Oaks twice – in 2008 with Proud Spell and in 2012 with Believe You Can. Now, with the 141st running of the Oaks fast approaching at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Jones is bearing down on a third victory with a pair of favorites in I’m a Chatterbox and Lovely Maria.

“I feel blessed. I really do,” he said Friday at Keeneland. “This race has been great to us.”

Both Jones fillies were vanned Friday from Keeneland to Churchill and were scheduled to have their final breezes for the race Sunday morning, weather permitting. I’m a Chatterbox dominated the competition all winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, while Lovely Maria won the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes during opening weekend of the Keeneland spring meet.

“I’ve never run I’m a Chatterbox on any track other than New Orleans, although she has handled this track at Keeneland really well,” said Jones. “So, I’ll be interested to see how she likes Churchill. Lovely Maria has shown she doesn’t have to carry her track with her.”

I’m a Chatterbox, bred and owned by Fletcher and Carolyn Gray, will be the morning-line favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Oaks. Lovely Maria figures as the fourth or fifth choice for owner Brereton C. Jones (no relation), the former Kentucky governor who owned the two Oaks winners trained by Larry Jones.

As of Friday, in points-preference order, these are the 14 fillies listed by Churchill as being in the Oaks field: Condo Commando, I’m a Chatterbox, Stellar Wind, Birdatthewire, Lovely Maria, Include Betty, Oceanwave, Angela Renee, Sarah Sis, Maybellene, Eskenformoney, Puca, Shook Up, and Luminance. Forever Unbridled is the first alternate.

The Oaks and all other Friday races will be drawn Tuesday.

Grade 1s on Oaks, Derby cards

Besides the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, another three Grade 1 races will be run this coming weekend at the front-loaded Churchill spring meet. A brief rundown of those:

* $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (Saturday): Stephanie’s Kitten, the standout turf mare, could be favored when running against the boys for the first time, with other prospects including Chocolate Ride, Finnegans Wake, Jack Milton, Seek Again, and Umgiyo.

* $300,000 Humana Distaff (Saturday): Reigning female sprint champion Judy the Beauty will make her first start of the year when facing Classic Point, Dame Dorothy, Princess Violet, Sweet Reason, Sweet Whiskey, and You Bought Her.

* $300,000 La Troienne (Friday): A sizable field of fillies and mares is expected to include Stopchargingmaria and her former stablemate My Miss Sophia, the 2014 Oaks runner-up who will be making her first start for Bill Mott. Another six to eight are likely.

:: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays

American Pharaoh eyes rare feat

As the likely favorite, American Pharoah will be trying to do something that hasn’t been done in 40 years: become the third straight winning favorite in the Kentucky Derby, following victories by Orb at 5-1 in 2013 and California Chrome at 5-2 in 2014.

The last time such a chalk streak occurred (1972-75), it actually was four in a row: Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Cannonade, and Foolish Pleasure.

Cannonade was part of a favored entry in 1974 with Judger, the supposed better half, and surely would not have been the favorite as a separate interest. There no longer are stable entries or a mutuel field for the Derby.

Favorites went 25 years without winning the Derby between Spectacular Bid (1979) and Smarty Jones (2004).