Leparoux takes advantage when nobody challenges Concrete Rose on lead in Saratoga Oaks

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As much of a pace advantage it looked like Concrete Rose had on paper in Friday’s $750,000 Saratoga Oaks, her trainer, Rusty Arnold, thought somebody was going to put pressure on his filly early on.

When that didn’t happen, Arnold said, “I was shocked.”

And when Arnold saw Concrete Rose open a clear advantage through glacial splits of 25.58 seconds for the quarter and 51.41, Arnold said he was “thrilled.”

Concrete Rose and Julien Leparoux used the slow fractions to their advantage as Concrete Rose cruised to a 4 3/4-length victory in the inaugural running of the Saratoga Oaks. Happen won a three-way photo for second by a nose over Kelsey’s Cross, who was a head better than Coral Beach. Olendon finished last. Her Royal Highness scratched.

The most intrigue of the race was whether the stewards would disqualify Coral Beach from fourth and place her fifth after jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on Olendon claimed foul against John Velazquez. Replays showed that it was actually Olendon who initiated contact and there was no change in the order of finish.

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Concrete Rose added the Saratoga Oaks to her previous victory in the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks on July 6. Those two races are part of the newly created Turf Trinity that concludes with the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks at 1 3/8 miles at Belmont Park on Sept. 7.

Arnold said he and the ownership groups - Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing -came into the year with the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth at Keeneland in October as a race they wanted to make. Now, Arnold said, he may look at the Jockey Club Oaks instead.

“It’s going to be tough not to try and win these three races the first year they have it,” Arnold said. “To win all three, that would be awful special. There’ll be a lot of talking going on about what we do with her.”

Arnold had a little talk with Leparoux before Friday’s Oaks, thinking that Aidan O’Brien had two horses in the race for a reason. Arnold thought either Happen or Coral Beach would be sent after Concrete Rose. Neither went.

“I thought one horse was a rabbit from Europe. When they didn’t [go] I was just thrilled to inherit the lead like that,” Arnold said. “I thought we’d be close but I didn’t think they’d go [51.41] and [1:15.93] on a lightning fast turf course. Every now and then you get in the right spot at the right time.”

Leparoux said he wanted to break running and then evaluate what the other riders were going to do.

“When nobody went I just galloped around by myself, I was happy about that,” Leparoux said.

Concrete Rose, a daughter of Twirling Candy, covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.34 over firm turf and returned $2.60 as the 1-5 favorite. She improved her record to 6 for 7 and the $400,000 first-place purse pushed her career earnings to $1,218,650.