Street Band 'really normal' after Fair Grounds Oaks win, Jones says
Both Street Band, who won the Fair Grounds Oaks on Saturday, and Serengeti Empress, the 1-5 favorite who finished last after suffering from exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (commonly just called ‘bleeding’), were reported in good condition Sunday morning.
Street Band got a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure for running 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.54, turning in what obviously was a career-best performance. Her victory was the most important career win for jockey Sophie Doyle, and it gave trainer Larry Jones – who co-owns Street Band, as well – his fourth Fair Grounds Oaks score.
Jones’ three previous such winners – Proud Spell, Believe You Can, and I’m A Chatterbox – all went on to start in the Kentucky Oaks, with Proud Spell and Believe You Can winning, and I’m a Chatterbox finishing third. Jones also won the Kentucky Oaks with Lovely Maria, who wintered at Fair Grounds.
Jones said Sunday that “everything seems really good, really normal” with Street Band the day after her breakout win. Street Band will ship to Churchill Downs this week and won’t train again until she settles in there, Jones said.
“We’ll give her a couple days to get her legs under her,” Jones said.
Street Band won Saturday by almost four lengths over Liora, who was the first to pounce on pacesetting Serengeti Empress, who began fading at the top of the stretch and could offer no resistance because she bled.
Tom Amoss, Serengeti Empress’s trainer, said the filly was in no obvious distress immediately after the Oaks and was vanned off the course strictly as a precaution. Amoss said Serengeti Empress, who was racing on Lasix, never had shown signs of bleeding before, and that from all appearances she was in good health Sunday. Still, Amoss will make no plans regarding the Kentucky Oaks or any other race, he said, until he has a chance to assess Serengeti Empress and try to ensure she doesn’t bleed again.
“Whether she’s ready to go in two weeks, three weeks, or eight weeks, that’s going to be entirely up to her,” he said. “The only thing we have to consider now is making sure that doesn’t happen again.”
