Martha Washington matches promising fillies Secret Oath, Optionality
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The $200,000 Martha Washington on Saturday at Oaklawn Park has the potential to become a key race on the road to the Kentucky Oaks.
The compact field of six includes a pair of standouts in Secret Oath and Optionality, as well as a pair of notable winners at the meet in Hypersport and Como Square.
The first four finishers earn Kentucky Oaks points on a scale of 10-4-2-1.
Secret Oath jetted to an 8 1/4-length win in a no-conditions allowance in her last start Dec. 31 at Oaklawn. For winning the one-mile race she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 93, which is tied for the fifth-best number put up by a 2-year-old in 2021.
Secret Oath, who was ridden by Luis Contreras, had finished fifth in the Grade 2 Golden Rod at Churchill Downs in her prior start.
“The race before was kind of a rough trip – we drew a line through that one,” said trainer D. Wayne Lukas. “When she came back, this last race was very professional, very much within herself. The trip was just the opposite. It was just a perfect trip. Luis had her in a stalking position, swung her out, and zip. We’re looking for a repeat of that, obviously.”
Secret Oath has since breezed a bullet half-mile in 46.80 seconds at Oaklawn. She is moving back to the distance of her maiden win, which came by 5 1/4 lengths last fall at Churchill.
Secret Oath is a Briland Farm homebred by Arrogate out of Absinthe Minded, who won three route stakes at Oaklawn and overall earned more than $600,000.
Optionality is looking for her fourth straight win in a streak that started with a maiden special weight victory in her fourth career start last October at Indiana Grand. She proceeded to win the $50,000 Zia Park Princess in November and the $100,000 Trapeze in her two-turn debut in December at Remington Park.
Optionality’s wins have come by a combined margin of 21 lengths. She’s by Gun Runner and out of the sprint stakes winner Simplify. Both were conditioned by her trainer, Steve Asmussen.
“Optionality is a filly that is a pleasant surprise,” he said. “She has gotten considerably faster from when she first started. Early, it was all female family and I think the Gun Runner matured her and stretched her out to have success that we had not previously had with the female family.”
Optionality won the Trapeze by 8 1/4 lengths and earned a career-high Beyer of 85. The race came on the same card as the $400,000 Springboard Mile, a points race for the Kentucky Derby.
“She looked very good winning the stakes at Zia,” Asmussen said, “and we thought off the stakes at Zia she deserved a shot at the Trapeze. She ended up running faster than the Springboard Mile.”
Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount from post 4 for Winchell Thoroughbreds.