LOUISVILLE, Ky. - About three weeks ago, Brad Cox watched his 2020 Kentucky Oaks hopeful Shedaresthedevil walk out to breeze in company with his 2018 Kentucky Oaks, Breeders' Cup Distaff winner, and Eclipse Award champion Monomoy Girl at Churchill Downs. He liked how Shedaresthedevil kept up with his champion, two years her senior, through the five-furlong work in 1:00.20.  “It worked out well," Cox said. "Monomoy Girl was maybe a touch better in the lane in the work, but we’ve not really ever had one that can keep up with her in the mornings.” The next week, Shedaresthedevil came back with a bullet six-furlong move, and, following a strong maintenance breeze one week prior to the Oaks, turned in energetic gallops in the final week leading up to the filly classic. "She'd been touting herself in the mornings, that she had a big one in her," Cox said. The big one came at an opportune time Friday on a sun-splashed, surreal day at Churchill Downs. Shedaresthedevil fended off Swiss Skydiver in the lane for a 1 1/2-length victory in the 146th running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks. Her time for the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track was 1:48.28, establishing a stakes record as she shaded the 1:48.64 run by Bird Town in 2003. Both Shedaresthedevil and Swiss Skydiver are from the first crop of sire Daredevil, giving the stallion a 1-2 finish. This was the second Kentucky Oaks victory in three years for the team of Cox and jockey Florent Geroux, who are also regular partners with Monomoy Girl. Less than an hour prior to the Oaks, the elder champion showed her younger stablemate how it was done beneath the twin spires, winning the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes. :: Become a DRF Bets member and get DRF's Kentucky Derby VIP Package for free "One is a champion and one is not - yet," said Geroux, who finished with five wins on the card. Shedaresthedevil ($32.20) was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm and originally raced for a partnership led by Glencrest Farm. After winning her debut at Churchill Downs for Norm Casse, she was sent to Simon Callaghan in California for the rest of her juvenile campaign, where she was graded stakes-placed on dirt and stakes-placed on turf. The filly, by the since-exported Daredevil, came to Cox's barn after Staton Flurry's Flurry Racing Stables purchased her for $280,000 during the horses of racing age portion of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The filly, who now runs for the partnership of Flurry, Qatar Racing Limited, and Big Aut Farms, has not missed the board while winning 4 of 6 starts this year for Cox. She added the Oaks to her résumé to go along with wins in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park and the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks. On Friday, she avenged her loss to Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn, when she finished third, beaten 13 lengths. Cox said the lessons he's learned in recent years from fillies such as Monomoy Girl and last year's dual Eclipse Award champion Covfefe gave him the confidence to stick to his original plan of bringing Shedaresthedevil to the Oaks off a break of more than eight weeks, passing on the division's final major preps in August. Monomoy Girl "taught us a lot," Cox said. "She had a good bit of time between the [2018] Cotillion and the Breeders' Cup, and she had a good bit of time [from the Grade 2 Ruffian on July 11] to today. These good fillies that put a lot into their works and their daily training, you can get away with giving them [time] between races. I think you're better off doing that." The two Oaks favorites, indeed, had their final preps in August. Gamine was the first to strike for trainer Bob Baffert, tying a stakes record with a seven-length win in the Grade 1 Test Stakes going seven furlongs Aug. 8 at Saratoga, adding that to a dazzling 18 3/4-length romp in record time in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at a mile in June at Belmont. One week later, Swiss Skydiver maintained her position in the division with a three-length victory in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes going 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga. It was the fourth graded stakes victory of the year for the Ken McPeek trainee, all going two turns. :: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more. Gamine was the odds-on favorite and Swiss Skydiver the 5-2 second choice for the Oaks as the nine-horse field loaded in the gate before a nearly empty grandstand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shedaresthedevil was the fifth choice. As expected, Gamine, breaking from post 5 under John Velazquez, dove to the early lead and established a clear lead in the short run to the first turn. In pursuit were Shedaresthedevil, who came in at the break from post 7 but nevertheless secured good early position, and Swiss Skydiver, who broke alertly from the rail under Tyler Gaffalione. Gamine ticked off the opening quarter in 23.39 seconds, and the half in an honest 47.92, leading by a length. Shedaresthedevil, who sat in the clear on the outside, held second, a head in front of Swiss Skydiver, who saved ground for most of the trip. Shedaresthedevil was still in the catbird seat on Gamine's hip heading into the final turn, and Baffert admitted to concern as the eventual winner inched up on his filly near the three-sixteenths pole. “That other filly was just latched on her the whole way," Baffert said. "We were hoping to just go easy around there. But she didn’t want to switch leads or anything. I kept waiting for her to just scoot away from that filly, but she just didn’t have it." Swiss Skydiver switched to the outside for clear sailing for her final run into the stretch, but it was Shedaresthedevil who poked her head in front of Gamine. She edged away from the tiring but still-trying pacemaker, then dug in during the final sixteenth to fend off Swiss Skydiver, who ran on strongly to the wire. “I wasn’t as concerned about beating Gamine as another horse running a bang-up race, and it happened," McPeek said. After Swiss Skydiver, it was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Gamine in third. The top three were well clear, as Speech, who had been bothered at the start, was 5 3/4 lengths back in fourth. She was followed, in order, by Tempers Rising, Hopeful Growth, Bayerness, Donna Veloce, and Dream Marie. Shedaresthedevil's connections did not commit to immediate plans for their filly. However, since Flurry is a resident of Hot Springs, Ark., he has a long-range plan in mind involving one of Oaklawn's signature races, the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap for fillies and mares, as the major goal for the first half of 2021. "That's at the top of the bucket list," Flurry said. At least one item was checked off Flurry’s list on Friday. As for Cox and Geroux, they might need a bigger bucket.