Kentucky Oaks: Beguine fails to draw in; rain expected during card
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It was the calm before the storm – literally – for the fillies of the Kentucky Oaks as race day dawned on Churchill Downs.
Only one of the entrants, Bourbonette Oaks winner Candy Raid, was out for a gallop on the sealed track Friday morning, some 11 hours before post time. The rest of the field walked their respective shed rows, as is the standard practice for many trainers on race day.
After overnight rains, the precipitation temporarily paused during training hours, which were condensed from 5:15 to 8 a.m. to allow renovation time before the early post time, 10:30 a.m., for the 13-race card. The rain was expected to resume later in the morning, with thunderstorms possible later in the day.
While the biggest news of Friday morning was the scratch of Ethereal Road from Saturday's Kentucky Derby, allowing also-eligible Rich Strike to draw into the field, there were no withdrawals from the Oaks by scratch time for both races at 9 a.m. Therefore, also-eligible Beguine is officially scratched from the Oaks.
The only scratches from the six undercard stakes are Militarist out of the Grade 2 Alysheba, which is carded as the seventh race; and Sweet As Pie out of the Grade 2 Eight Belles, the ninth race.
Churchill Downs has designated the main track as fast and the new turf course as firm to begin the day, although that is virtually certain to change.