Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath will be considered for Preakness
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There was no resting on their lilies Saturday morning for the Lukas camp. Less than 12 hours after Secret Oath gave him a record-tying fifth victory in the Kentucky Oaks, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was on his stable pony in the dark, escorting sets to the track.
Lukas, 86, said that Secret Oath emerged from her two-length victory in the Oaks, which earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure, in good order.
“Really good,” Lukas said. “Didn’t dive into her feed tub, but when they’re tired, they never do. She was bright, and we had her out on the grass early this morning and she grazed. She looked really good.”
Lukas reiterated that the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown in two weeks, is an option for Secret Oath, who finished third to Kentucky Derby entrants Cyberknife and Barber Road in the Arkansas Derby five weeks ago. However, he wants to see how Saturday’s Derby plays out before firming up those plans. Another option could be the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan the day before the Preakness in Baltimore.
“The problem there is it’s another lesser grade, and [owners Rob and Stacy Mitchell] are real conscious of the grade,” Lukas said.
The next suitable Grade 1 in the division is the Acorn Stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard, and Lukas said he would have no qualms about cutting back to the one-turn mile.
Also a candidate for the Preakness could be Ethereal Road, who Lukas scratched out of the Derby on Friday.
“I made an effort to have him ready, but I don’t think I did a good job,” Lukas said. “I just didn’t feel he was doing well.
“This week he didn’t train that well. He got flat and just didn’t have that usual energy. The decision I made, and I made it by myself, was that if I went in the Derby, I eliminated the next couple events.”
A decision on Secret Oath and Ethereal Road’s Preakness statuses is likely to come late next week, the trainer said.
Meanwhile, Nest, second as the $2.40-1 favorite after encountering some traffic in a full field of 14, would seem unlikely for the Acorn, with longer races such as the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama a more logical fit for her late-running style. The Curlin filly is trained by Todd Pletcher for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and the Repole Stable of Mike Repole.
“We’ll have to evaluate how she emerges and her energy level in the coming weeks before huddling up with Todd and Repole to make any plans,” Aron Wellman, who manages Eclipse, said Saturday morning. “We were really proud of her effort. It was a tale of two trips. Credit to Secret Oath, D. Wayne, and Luis.
Nest was one of three Oaks starters for Pletcher. Shahama was sixth and Goddess of Fire was 11th.
Also, fourth-place finisher Echo Zulu came out of the race “good” when being defeated for the first time in six career starts, according to Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. Plans have yet to be made, although the Acorn would seem an obvious fit for the 2-year-old filly champion of 2021.
– additional reporting by Marty McGee