Proud Spell entered for Delaware Oaks

Saturday's Grade 2 Delaware Oaks received a surprise boost of glamour when trainer Larry Jones put two names into the entry box at Delaware Park on Monday afternoon.

As planned, Jones entered Maren's Meadow, a nice filly whose best accomplishment in her nine-race career is a win in the Grade 3 Bourbonette on Turfway Park's Polytrack.

In a move that was totally unexpected, however, Jones also entered Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell for Saturday's $500,000 Oaks, the feature on a card that includes two other stakes, the Grade 3 Robert Dick Memorial on turf and the $100,000 Brandywine Stakes on the main track.

Proud Spell was expected to pass the 1 1/16-mile Delaware Oaks after enduring a rough trip that resulted in her disqualification to third in the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont on June 28.

"She has healed very nicely from her lacerations," Jones said. "We backed off on her training regimen and went light with her. What appeared to be bad luck has actually turned into good luck for us. She has progressed to the point where we feel comfortable entering her in this spot and there is a good chance we will run her."

Jones named Gabriel Saez to ride both Proud Spell and Maren's Meadow, but is permitted to change riders without having to scratch one part of the uncoupled entry.

The addition of 122-pound highweight Proud Spell gives the Oaks a lineup of eight 3-year-old fillies. Her chief challengers figure to be the Florida-based Shes All Eltish and Suffolk Downs shipper Weathered.

Shes All Eltish, trained by Marty Wolfson, won the Grade 2 Bonnie Miss at Gulfstream Park in late March and most recently finished second in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico.

Weathered, a winner in 5 of 7 starts lifetime, returns to Delaware after winning the $175,000 Susan's Girl a month ago.

* Defending champion Rosinka heads a field of nine older fillies and mares, including two entered for the main track only, in the $300,000 Dick at 1 3/8 miles on turf.