New setting for fast pair in Oakley

Beware of the Bop and Salaam Alaykum, fillies who have displayed high speed either on another surface or much longer distances, will try to transfer their best form to a turf sprint in Saturday's $50,000 Oakley Stakes at Colonial Downs.

The Oakley, a 5 1/2-furlong race restricted to Virginia-bred fillies and mares, drew a field of nine.

Beware of the Bop will be making her turf debut after winning 11 of 19 on dirt, including two stakes last year at Charles Town. Her sire, Bop, was 5 for 7 in turf stakes, including a Penn National track record of 54.61 seconds for five furlongs in 2002.

Beware of the Bop has primarily raced in two-turn races at her home track in West Virginia. She has won three of her last four races around one turn.

Salaam Alaykum, from the potent stable of Todd Pletcher, shortens up after flashing speed in a pair of one-mile turf races at Gulfstream Park. She was either on the lead or within a half-length of the leader at the six-furlong call in both of those races. Pletcher shows a 15-for-58 (26 percent) record with turf horses going from routes to sprints the last three years, according to DRF's Formulator.