Shedaresthedevil dominates in Indiana Oaks

Shedaresthedevil rained fire and brimstone on the Grade 3, $200,000 Indiana Oaks on Wednesday evening at Indiana Grand.

The Brad Cox-trained filly broke from the gate breathing fire, pressing pacesetting Miss T Too into fractions too hot for that filly to handle. Shedaresthedevil and jockey Florent Geroux took the lead at the five-sixteenths pole, and after a few hearty cracks of Geroux’s stick in the final furlong, Shedaresthedevil opened up again late, winning the Indiana Oaks by five lengths.

“She was having a little bit too much fun,” Geroux said, referring to Shedaresthedevil’s cavalier approach he decided to address with his riding crop. “Just keep her focused to the wire. She was nice and relaxed, and turning for home she had plenty left.”

Impeccable Style took a run at the winner in upper stretch but was left in her wake once Shedaresthedevil came back to life but ran commendably to hold a clear second over Bayerness. Fire Coral edged a fading Miss T Too for fourth. Off fast splits of 23.19 seconds and 46.20, Shedaresthedevil clocked 1:43.50 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track, paying $3.20 as the heavy favorite.

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Cox trains Shedaresthedevil for Qatar Racing Limited and Flurry Racing Stable, and Shedaresthedevil ran her career mark to 9-4-2-2, adding this victory to her win in the Grade 3 Honeybee this spring.

Shedaresthedevil, a daughter of Daredevil and the Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed, earned 20 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks. The second- through fourth-place finishers got 8, 4, and 2 qualifying points, respectively.

Cox, winning the Indiana Oaks for the first time, has other Kentucky Oaks hopefuls such as Bonny South, who was to start Saturday in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. Shedaresthedevil now has 90 Kentucky Oaks points, clearly enough to make the race, and Cox said connections would “make it as easy on her as we can to try to get her” to the race.

“She’s a racehorse,” Cox said. “Very, very proud of her. I think she’s only going to get better with more distance and maybe even when she gets older.”

Even now, midway through her 3-year-old season, Shedaresthedevil is one hell of a horse.