McGaughey has two possible for American Oaks

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – My Impression, the half-length winner of the Winter Memories Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 25, is being considered for the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita on Dec. 31, trainer Shug McGaughey said Wednesday.

Apple Betty, beaten a nose against older fillies and mares in the Dowager Stakes at Keeneland in October, is also being considered for the American Oaks, McGaughey said.

Both fillies arrived Tuesday at McGaughey’s winter base of Payson Park in Indiantown, Fla., and he will evaluate their training before making a final decision.

My Impression won her third stakes of the year in the Winter Memories, getting a patient ride by Jose Ortiz before rallying in the lane. Two starts back, she unleashed a similar closing kick to win the Grade 3 Commonwealth Oaks at Laurel Park. In between, she finished third in the Valley View at Keeneland, a race in which she was up too close to a slow pace.

“She had a really good second half of the year,” McGaughey said by phone from Florida. “The other day is the way she wants to run.”

The American Oaks is scheduled for 1 1/4 miles, and McGaughey doesn’t believe the distance will be an issue for My Impression.

“I think she’ll run all day, the way she’s bred,” McGaughey said.

My Impression is by Sky Mesa and out of a Broad Brush mare.

Apple Betty was second in the Grade 3 Dowager, a 1 1/2-mile race at Keeneland on Oct. 23. She is a full sister to Magician, the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner.