Texas connections in Kentucky Oaks

Rachel Alexandra, winner of the 2009 Kentucky Oaks, received her earliest training lessons in Texas, as have at least two starters in this year’s Kentucky Oaks.

Trainer Bret Calhoun said Classy Act and Patrona Margarita were broken in Texas. Both also race for residents of the Lone Star State.

Classy Act, owned by Carl Moore, received her early lessons near Tyler at the Twin Oaks Training Center, which is operated by Eddie Milligan Jr. Patrona Margarita, who races for Craig Upham, was broken in Laredo at the Asmussen Horse Center facilities, which also turned out Kentucky Derby entrant Combatant.

Classy Act ran second in the Rachel Alexandra in her stakes debut and last out was a close fourth in the Fair Grounds Oaks.

“She came to us with high expectations off the farm,” Calhoun said. “Eddie was pretty optimistic about her from the beginning and so were we. As we trained her, we liked her a lot – so much so we took her to Saratoga and expected to run her there, had her entered the last week up there, and drew the also-eligible and did not get to run her.”

Calhoun said Patrona Margarita came well regarded by Cheryl Asmussen.

“They were high on her from the farm from the beginning,” Calhoun said. “We liked her right off the bat. She won first time out at Churchill, showed us a lot early. We went to the Texas sale futurity, and it was too short for her. She was running over them at the end. It set us up for the Pocahontas. She pretty much dominated that race.”

Patrona Margarita, a half-sister to millionaire Texas Chrome, was a 3 3/4-length winner of the Pocahontas in September at Churchill.

Calhoun said it’s special to see both fillies advance to the Oaks after being so well thought of as young horses.

“Sometimes hopes get tempered, but these two horses came all the way through and lived up to the early billing,” Calhoun said.