Ortiz ready for some Oaks fun with Quietside

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Let the fun begin.

That was the sentiment from trainer John Ortiz after watching Quietside put in her final workout Friday morning at Keeneland in preparation for a start in the Kentucky Oaks next Friday at Churchill Downs.

Under regular rider Jose Ortiz, Quietside went a half-mile in 48.44 seconds, according to Daily Racing Form, while galloping out five furlongs in 1:00.50. The work was done over a fast track, approximately 10 minutes before it began raining heavily and turned the track sloppy.

Quietside will enter the Oaks as one of the favorites coming off wins in the Grade 3 Honeybee and Grade 2 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park, in her two most recent starts.

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“Honestly, I couldn’t be more confident,” John Ortiz said. “Like I said in the past, the race for me I was more concerned about was the Fantasy. Getting that win proved she is a top-quality filly coming into the Oaks. This is the fun part. In the Oaks, the expectation is to run against tough horses and compete at a high level. It’s going to come down to a horse race and we’re ready for the fun part.”

Ortiz chose to ship Quietside from Oaklawn to Keeneland because it’s closer to his home in Lexington, the majority of his horses are stabled here, and he felt the track surface would be good in the event of inclement weather.

“The Keeneland track is really reliable as far as safety and holding water,” Ortiz said. “We were on the fence about working on a sloppy track or a good track. We got a good track. Fortunately, we missed the rain, it all worked out. Somebody was looking out for us.”

Churchill stipulates that all horses entering the Kentucky Derby and Oaks be on the grounds by 11 a.m. Saturday. So, Quietside was scheduled to van from Keeneland to Churchill on Friday afternoon.

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