Prairie Meadows: Fiftyshadesofhay overcomes outside post in Iowa Oaks

Drawing the far-outside post in a field of 10 proved no hindrance for the favored Fiftyshadesofhay in the $200,000, Grade 3 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows on Saturday night.

Hustled out of the gate by jockey Martin Garcia, she established a comfortable pressing position up close early, chasing So Many Ways through fractions of 23.12 seconds and 46.73 in the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Oaks.

Then Garcia let out a notch, and she engaged So Many Ways, last year’s Grade 1 Spinaway winner, and the duo went six furlongs in 1:11.62. Thereafter, Fiftyshadesofhay easily drew away to score by 3 1/2 lengths. She raced 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.65.

So Many Ways tired late to be third, a length behind the closing runner-up, Seaneen Girl.

Garcia credited the filly’s tactical ability for the victory. “My filly had plenty of speed to get position,” he said.

The winner, a 3-year-old daughter of Pulpit owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, paid $4.60. It was her first race since winning the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico on May 17 for trainer Bob Baffert.