Laurelin back where it all began for Jockey Club Oaks
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After suffering her first career defeat in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, which ended a five-race winning streak, Laurelin returns to where her career and streak began when she runs in Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks at Aqueduct.
Laurelin is 3 for 3 at Aqueduct, a record that includes a debut maiden victory in October 2024, a win in the Tepin Stakes last November, and a victory in the Memories of Silver Stakes to kick off her 3-year-old season in April. Victories in the Penn Oaks at Penn National and the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks in August ran Laurelin’s winning streak to five.
In the QE II, Laurelin didn’t have much of an excuse as she was outkicked by Lush Lips, finishing 1 1/4 lengths back.
“The only thing that went against her was the track seemed to be quite speed-favoring. Not many horses made up ground. Whether that played into it or not, I don’t know,” trainer Graham Motion said.
Motion wasn’t necessarily targeting the Jockey Club Oaks, but he does believe the 1 3/8-mile distance is something that Laurelin will want.
“Distance-wise, her pedigree is all stamina,” Motion said. “This gives us the opportunity to find out before the end of the year, which helps make decisions about next year.”
Motion said this will be Laurelin’s final race of this year but that she will run in 2026.
Evershed, a daughter of Churchill, finished second to Laurelin in the Saratoga Oaks in August. She came back to finish second in the Old Dominion Oaks, a race run over soft ground on Sept. 6 at Colonial Downs. Trainer Arnaud Delacour believes Evershed will handle the 1 3/8 miles of the Jockey Club Oaks, especially if she gets firm ground.
Fionn had a three-race win streak of her own snapped in the QE II, racing in the back of the pack as the favorite in an eight-horse field before making a mild bid while being fanned wide. She was beaten 4 3/4 lengths. Before that, Fionn won the Grade 3 Regret, the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, and the Grade 3 Dueling Grounds Oaks.
Trainer Brad Cox is taking blinkers off Fionn on Saturday. Flavien Prat rides.
Brendan Walsh, who sent out Lush Lips to win the QE II, sends out Hereforagoodtime in the Jockey Club Oaks. Hereforagoodtime has twice finished third behind Fionn, including a 3 3/4-length defeat in the Dueling Grounds Oaks.
Trainer Miguel Clement sends out both National Archive and Don’t Jinx It. Clement believes both fillies will stay the distance but have to prove they fit at this class level.
The New York-bred Scythian won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes here last October. She has finished third in each of her two tries at the New York-bred second-level allowance level this year.
Unmerited Favor, trained by Kenny McPeek, has won two straight since being stretched out in distance and makes her graded stakes debut in this spot with Chris Elliott aboard.
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