Swingn' Notes tops Oaks

AUBURN, Wash. - A highly competitive field of nine 3-year-old fillies, topped by Swingn' Notes, will get the biggest weekend of the Emerald Downs meet off to a fast start in Saturday's $100,000 Washington Breeders' Cup Oaks.

Sunday's card will feature the 69th running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile and the $100,000 Emerald Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Swingn' Notes, trained by Bud Klokstad, rates top billing in the 1 1/8-mile Oaks off back-to-back scores in the one-mile Irish Day Handicap in June and last month's 1 1/16-mile Kent Handicap. She also won the one-mile Corte Madera Stakes last December at Golden Gate and is a perfect 4 for 4 in races around two turns.

Despite her imposing credentials, it is by no means certain that Swingn' Notes will be favored in the Oaks. Karis Makaw was sent off as the 2-1 choice in the Kent and her backers couldn't have been discouraged by her runner-up effort, as she was beaten less than two lengths despite racing extremely wide around both turns.

Sariano, who won the 6 1/2-furlong Federal Way Handicap here in May, also impressed in the Kent, finishing fastest of all to wind up only two lengths behind the winner in fourth place.

Also intriguing are northern California shipper Uninhibited Song and Eastern invader Oneofacat. Uninhibited Song, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, has won twice in five starts, including a 2 1/4-length victory over allowance rivals in a mile and 70-yard test last month at Pleasanton. Oneofacat, who races for owner Dave Mowat, was a maiden special weight winner at Belmont last fall and an allowance winner at Churchill Downs this spring.

Oneofacat is one of three Oaks hopefuls to be saddled by trainer Grant Forster. The trainer will also send out Summer Symphony, who is coming off a 2 1/2-length victory over allowance foes at Hastings Park, and Bianconi Baby, who demolished allowance rivals in her first attempt at one mile here on July 24, when she won off by 12 1/2 lengths in 1:35.40.

Rounding out the field are She's a Bombshell, who finished second to the outstanding filly Regal Red last time out in the British Columbia Stallion Handicap at Hastings Park on Aug. 2, and Arco Iris.

Arco Iris, a half-sister to Longacres Mile winner Edneator from the barn of trainer Jim Penney, had a three-race win streak broken when she finished fifth at 7-2 in the Kent Handicap. Arco Iris had to be stoutly restrained to avoid running up on heels at several points in that race.