Secret Oath romps in Martha Washington
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Secret Oath established herself as a 3-year-old filly to be reckoned with Saturday, when she swept to a 7 1/4-length win in the $200,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park.
It was the second straight blowout victory by Secret Oath, who came into the Kentucky Oaks points race off an 8 1/4-length win in an allowance at Oaklawn.
“That’s the real deal,” winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas said after the Martha Washington.
Secret Oath earned 10 points for the Kentucky Oaks, while Optionality, who was second, picked up 4. Como Square, who finished 4 3/4 lengths back in third, earned 2 points, while the final available point went to fourth-place finisher Hypersport.
Secret Oath ($3) settled off the pace set by Optionality, who was clear through fractions of 24.09 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.58 for the half-mile, and 1:14.50 for six furlongs. Secret Oath launched her bid on the final turn, swept to the lead into the stretch, and separated herself from her rivals. She went on to cover the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:46.21.
Luis Contreras was aboard Secret Oath, who races for her breeder, Briland Farm. She is a daughter of Arrogate and the mare Absinthe Minded, who was a three-time stakes winner at Oaklawn and earned more than $600,000.
Secret Oath won her maiden in her second career start last October at Churchill Downs, and it came at the same distance as the Martha Washington. She then ran fifth in the Grade 2 Golden Rod at the same track, before the Oaklawn allowance win for which she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 93. The number was tied for fifth-highest among 2-year-olds in 2021.
In the allowance, Secret Oath sat off the pace early, swept to the lead, and separated herself from her rivals in race that mirrored the Martha Washington.
“It was a replay, and that’s what we were looking for,” Lukas said. “That consistency is now coming and we’re getting that maturity as far as a professional racehorse.”
Lukas said plans would be determined for Secret Oath, but added he liked the setup of the series at Oaklawn. The next Kentucky Oaks points race is the Grade 3, $300,000 Honeybee on Feb. 26, and it’s followed by the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy on April 2.