Quietside on the march in Martha Washington

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Quietside established herself as one of the top young fillies in training last year and it appears there’s more where that came from heading into the $300,000 Martha Washington on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

“She only seems to have gotten better and better,” said trainer John Ortiz.

Quietside will launch her 3-year-old season in the 1 1/16-mile Martha Washington, a Kentucky Oaks points race that rewards its first five finishers on a scale of 20-10-6-4-2. The field of six includes Her Laugh, the wire-to-wire winner of the Untapable last out at Fair Grounds; Adeera, who was a troubled third last out in the Year’s End at Oaklawn; and Take Charge Milady.

Quietside won her maiden by more than six lengths last summer at Saratoga and from there ran second in the Grade 1 Spinaway on Aug. 31, third in the Grade 1 Alcibiades on Oct. 4, and second in the Grade 2 Golden Rod on Nov. 30.

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“It’s only a matter of time before it will be our turn to take that win picture,” Ortiz said of nailing down a stakes. “She’s doing fantastic. I definitely see a significant change in her physique. She looks a little bit tighter. She’s got this athletic build starting to form around her barrel. She doesn’t look so soft, so I think maturity-wise, she’s coming into her 3-year-old season really well.”

Quietside is a daughter of Malibu Moon and the Grade 2-winning mare Benner Island. She races for her breeder, Shortleaf Stable. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount from the rail Saturday.

“There’s a couple of good fillies coming up that are front-running fillies, coming off really good efforts,” Ortiz said. “I don’t want to see her having to duel on the front end, but she’s a very tactical filly where I think she’ll break and put herself in a really good position. We’ve got the one-hole, so we’re going to have to play that with a little bit of strategy leaving the gate.”

Her Laugh drew post 4. She is unbeaten in two starts, taking a maiden special weight over six furlongs from a stalking position in November at Churchill Downs, then winning her two-turn debut in the Untapable.

Axel Concepcion has the mount on the daughter of Practical Joke for her breeder, Grantley Acres. Whit Beckman trains Her Laugh, who since her last race Dec. 21 has turned in a trio of half-mile works at Fair Grounds. She will carry 122 pounds, spotting each of her rivals seven pounds.

Adeera has placed in a pair of stakes and is bred to be a runner, as the daughter of Authentic is from the same mare as Grade 1-winning millionaire Newgate and Grade 2 winner Denim and Pearls. Erik Asmussen has the mount from post 2 for L and N Racing and trainer Steve Asmussen.

Trainer Kenny McPeek, who won last year’s Martha Washington with Band of Gold, sends out Take Charge Milady and Gowells Delight. Both won maiden special weight route races in their last starts, with Take Charge Milady romping by four lengths at Oaklawn and Gowells Delight cruising by more than five lengths at Fair Grounds.

Legal Empress had made two starts at the meet, running second to next-out stakes winner Jenkin in the maiden ranks on Dec. 6, then coming back to take a maiden special weight Dec. 29.

The Martha Washington shares a card with the Southwest.

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