Oonagh Maccool vs. Sweet Symphony again

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A rematch of Oonagh Maccool and Grade 1 winner Sweet Symphony in the $300,000 Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap highlights the undercard for Friday's 11-race Kentucky Oaks program. The Grade 2 Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap is the richest of the five undercard stakes, which also include two Grade 3's, the Crown Royal American Turf and the Aegon Turf Sprint, plus the ungraded Edgewood and Alysheba stakes. The last four of those each has a purse of $100,000.

Oonagh Maccool is one of the newest weapons in trainer Todd Pletcher's potent arsenal. The Irish-bred began her career by winning her first two starts on grass in Europe, but she's equally adept on dirt, having won a pair of races over Gulfstream Park's main track, including the Grade 2 Rampart in which she overcame a poor start to beat Sweet Symphony by 2 1/2 widening lengths.

Sweet Symphony figures to improve off her initial meeting with Oonagh Maccool in what was her first start since finishing ninth in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Sweet Symphony began her career with four straight victories, including a 6 1/4-length win in the Grade 1 Alabama.

Sweet Symphony is one of three Grade 1 winners in the 1 1/16-mile Louisville, along with In the Gold and Leave Me Alone.

In the Gold beat Leave Me Alone to win the 2005 Gazelle but was outrun in three subsequent starts, including a fifth-place finish in the BC Distaff.

Leave Me Alone drew off to an easy win in the 2005 Test but has gone winless in her last five starts.

Completing the lineup are Grade 2 winner Capeside Lady, La Reason, Private Gift, and Gallant Secret.

Sacred Light tries turf

Sacred Light doesn't have enough graded earnings to get into the Kentucky Derby. So trainer David Hofmans will switch the Grade 2-placed colt to the turf to run in Friday's Grade 3 Crown Royal Turf.

Sacred Light, whose only victory came via a stewards disqualification, finished second behind Brother Derek in the Grade 2 Santa Catalina and fourth after a bad start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. He has yet to race on grass.

The most accomplished turf runner in the Crown Royal is Go Between, winner of Gulfstream's Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes and a troubled second four weeks later in the Sophomore Turf at Tampa Bay Downs. His sternest test likely will come from the Pletcher-trained Tahoe Warrior.

Pletcher will also have one of the favorites, Magnificent Song, in the 1 1/16-mile Edgewood. She's in a field that includes Performing Diva, Beau Dare, Kitty Hawk, and Fiery Dancer.

Wild Desert, winner of the 2005 Queen's Plate at Woodbine, will be among the favorites in a wide-open Alysheba Stakes. Other key contenders include the Nick Zito-trained duo of Andromeda's Hero and Seek Gold, Gouldings Green, M B Sea, and Purim.

Atticus Kristy, Western Kind, The Nth Degree, and Mighty Beau are among the many potential win candidates in a well-matched field of 12 in the five-furlong Aegon Turf Sprint.