Oaks also-rans look to get back on track in Friday allowance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It’ll be a reunion of sorts Friday afternoon at Churchill Downs when three fillies from the Kentucky Oaks get together again.

None of them hit the board in the May 4 Oaks, but their respective connections have a right to expect better things the rest of the year from Kelly’s Humor (eighth), Classy Act (10th), and Rayya (13th). They’re part of the race-5 feature on a terrific nine-race Friday card that includes four allowances.

Trainer Brad Cox believes Kelly’s Humor will appreciate the turn-back from the Oaks distance of 1 1/8 miles to seven furlongs. A Midnight Lute filly, she breaks from post 6 under Florent Geroux in the $62,000 second-level allowance.

“She’s had a couple of great works since the Oaks, so I don’t know that distance is going to matter that much,” said Cox, who won the Oaks with Monomoy Girl. “I’m still thinking the Indiana or Iowa Oaks with her, or maybe even the Mother Goose, although we could head in a different direction toward something like the Test with her. I’m just happy with the way she’s training and I think she’ll run big Friday.”

Classy Act (post 2, Brian Hernandez Jr.) will add blinkers after also having two interim works since the Oaks, while Rayya (post 1, Ricardo Santana Jr.), who was badly compromised by a poor start in the Oaks, has had three local works for Bob Baffert since her disappointing performance as the 9-1 fifth choice. In all, seven 3-year-old fillies are entered for Friday.

Three allowances (races 6, 8, 9) follow on a Friday card that starts at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. All are part of the 20-cent Single 6 (races 4-9), which had a $672,486 in the carryover jackpot when a four-day race week was to begin with a Thursday card.

Meanwhile, Cox said Monomoy Girl will breeze here Sunday in her final pre-race work toward the Grade 1 Acorn on the June 9 Belmont Stakes card.