Oeuvre proves versatility in Jean Elizabeth

The Illinois-bred filly Oeuvre was one of only 39 North American horses with seven or more wins during 2022, and on Wednesday at Hawthorne she picked up her fourth win of 2023 with a three-quarters-length victory in the $75,000 Jean Elizabeth Handicap.

Oeuvre carried jockey Manny Esquivel and a total of 124 pounds across the wire less than a length in front of Sharp Hero, who was weighted at 118. Esquivel had to work Oeuvre off the off the far turn and into the stretch to come outside Sharp Hero, who enjoyed a perfect pressing trip on the outside, and while it took Oeuvre most of the long Hawthorne homestretch to reel in her rival, she was going away at the end.

Oeuvre, a Richard Perkins homebred trained by Chris Block, is a faster horse on turf than dirt, yet her dirt record now stands at 10-8-2-0. By Shackleford out of Love this Kitten, by Kitten’s Joy, Oeuvre has gone 14-11-0-1 since Block took over her training before the 2022 season.

Racing over a fast track, Oeuvre clocked 1:15.43 for 6 1/2 furlongs and paid $3.80 as the heavy favorite. Sharp Hero, the longest price in a six-horse field at 14-1, finished nearly five lengths in front of 12-1 shot Off Ramp, who went evenly for third. Golden Bell and Alberta Sun were scratched.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.