Stonestreet will have several rooting interests in Kentucky Oaks

Barbara Banke makes business decisions for Stonestreet Farm with the head and not the heart, carefully curating the youngsters produced by her star-studded broodmare band. But Banke has a special place in her heart for talented fillies.

She will look on with pride as two fillies bred by Stonestreet and sold in 2017 contest the Kentucky Oaks.

And meanwhile, an exciting filly she chose not to sell in 2018 is expected to carry the Stonestreet colors at the Royal Ascot meeting in June.

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Stonestreet’s homebred Lady Pauline, a half-sister to European champion Lady Aurelia, rolled by 9 3/4 lengths against males in her debut on April 5 at Keeneland. Lady Pauline, like her older half-sister, is trained by Wesley Ward, known for his skill with young horses. Stonestreet, Ward, and partners made three raids on Ascot with Lady Aurelia, who took the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes in her Cartier Award-winning juvenile campaign and, the following season, bested older males in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes.

Lady Pauline, by Munnings, was originally entered in the 2018 Keeneland September sale as a matter of course for the business, but was withdrawn and retained to race for Stonestreet.

“We entered her because we like to enter everything, just in case we feel that we should sell,” Banke said. “We do need to keep our farm in business. But she was always on the list as a keeper. We’re so glad to have another filly from the fabulous D’Wildcat Speed.”

Stonestreet bred and still owns the dams of both Champagne Anyone, who now races for Six Column Stables and Randall Bloch, and Restless Rider, who runs in partnership for Three Chimneys Farm and Fern Circle Stables. Both are expected to run in the May 3 Kentucky Oaks.

Champagne Anyone is by Street Sense and out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Lucevan. Stonestreet sold her for $70,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale. After finishing third at Gulfstream in both the Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes and Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes over the winter, Champagne Anyone broke through with a victory in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 30.

Trainer Ian Wilkes said the Kentucky Oaks has been the goal for Champagne Anyone.

“We made the plan,” he said. “We went in the Golden Rod last year to get experience and come back and start at seven-eighths, a mile, a mile and a sixteenth. I felt the filly needed racing. She’s a filly that’s still learning. If I ran her once, twice, she wouldn’t be ready for the Oaks. That’s why I felt I had to get more racing, more miles, into her.”

Restless Rider, by Distorted Humor, is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Silky Serenade, and was a $150,000 graduate of the same Keeneland September sale. Restless Rider won the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland last year and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes, and Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes. She finished second in this month’s Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland in her first start in more than four months.

“This sets us up good for the Kentucky Oaks,” trainer Ken McPeek said. “[Jockey Brian Hernandez] said she got a little tired and couldn’t quite get past the winner. We are in a good position for the next dance. We are pleased.”

Stonestreet’s yearling division is home to half-brothers to Champagne Anyone and Restless Rider. Banke will soon face the decision about which yearling sales to enter them in, or whether she will add them to her racing string. The colts are by Wilburn and Kantharos, respectively, both graded stakes-winning former Stonestreet colorbearers.

Meanwhile, Banke has another filly out of Puerto Rican Horse of the Year D’Wildcat Speed in the pipeline. The Forest Wildcat mare got a year off after delivering Lady Pauline, and had a filly by Medaglia d’Oro this February. Her champion daughter Lady Aurelia, who joined the Stonestreet broodmare band this year, was bred to Curlin for her first foal.