Bob Baffert has elected for a creative path to get Bottle of Rouge into this year’s Kentucky Oaks, and if the trainer is to be believed, reaching that race at Churchill Downs is a secondary goal for now. After going to Sunland Park for her 3-year-old debut last month, he will now ship Bottle of Rogue to Colonial Downs with a strong chance in the $250,000 Virginia Oaks on Saturday. “We’re running for purse money, and if she develops into an Oaks filly, she’ll let us know,” Baffert said. “But right now, we’re just having fun with her.” As a prep race for the Kentucky Oaks in May, the Virginia Oaks will award qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis, just as the $500,000 Virginia Derby will provide for Kentucky Derby hopefuls later on the card. If the six-horse Oaks field is cut down to five, points will be awarded on a 75 percent scale. Coming off a statement victory in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante last year, Baffert hoped Bottle of Rouge could improve to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She never fired that day, finishing 5 1/2 lengths back in sixth. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. While her stablemate and juvenile rival Explora has taken a more conventional path between Santa Anita and Oaklawn this year, Bottle of Rouge returned in the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks last month, pulling away to win by 1 1/2 lengths and picking up 20 Oaks points. Owned by Baffert’s wife, Jill, the trainer has more freedom choosing spots. “I’m just trying to split the fillies up,” Baffert said. “ I went [to Colonial] last year and we liked it, and it’s my wife’s horse, so I can sort of run where I want to run.” Baffert said Bottle of Rouge should appreciate the 1 1/16 miles around one turn, noting that she earned her Grade 1 victory last year in a seven-furlong sprint. The 6-5 morning-line favorite from the West Coast could get a stiff challenge from Dazzling Dame, a local talent trained by Brittany Russell. In January, the filly shipped to Aqueduct and picked up 20 Oaks points in the $150,000 Busanda, rocketing home by 11 1/2 lengths. “When I ran her short first time out, I thought this was a filly that wants more ground, but she showed that she had some early foot too,” Russell said. “I was always excited about her.” Russell’s front-runner might not get the lead to herself Saturday, but drawing the rail is sure to help her control the action. At her sixth track in six career starts, she will stretch out to 1 1/16 miles after four straight starts at a mile. Hit Parade, winner of the $100,000 Untapable at Fair Grounds last December, shipped to Oaklawn for her 3-year-old debut in the $300,000 Martha Washington last month. Entering the race with steady momentum and three straight wins, she failed to sustain an early bid and faded back to fifth. “I thought we were getting a really good trip, but she just didn’t fire home like we expected her to,” trainer Brad Cox said. “Came out of it in good order. She’s won three races and there’s not a lot of options for fillies like her. We left her there at Oaklawn and thought as long as she trains well, we’d take a swing and give her another chance to pick up some Oaks points.” Trainer Todd Pletcher said Kadabra and the maiden Baffle will both have to improve to have a winning chance in the short field. Somemunny to Love, a 20-1 longshot trained by Flint Stites, won a statebred maiden special weight at Parx Racing last month. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.