LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Princess of Sylmar, the 38-1 winner of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday at Churchill Downs, exited the race in good order and is scheduled to return Sunday or Monday to Belmont Park in New York with the rest of the Todd Pletcher stable. Her next start is still to be determined.
Princess of Sylmar, owned by the King of Prussia Stable of insurance executive Ed Stanco, took the 139th Oaks by a half-length over Beholder, who was scheduled to be flown home to California on Sunday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As of 1 p.m. Eastern, the updated forecast for the balance of Kentucky Derby Day is not encouraging.
With the main track at Churchill Downs already downgraded to sloppy and the turf course to good after several hours of a steady drizzle, there is little sign of a let-up, according to the latest forecast from TheWeather Channel.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Todd Pletcher was expected to win the 139th running of the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, but not the way he did it. Not even close.
Princess of Sylmar, dismissed at 38-1, rallied strongest of all under Mike Smith and ran down a gritty Beholder to capture the Grade 1, $1 million Oaks by a half-length Friday before an ontrack crowd of 113,820.[:slideshow-right:]
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisiana Derby winner Revolutionary and Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents were, somewhat surprisingly, the 5-1 co-choices over Florida Derby winner Orb when advance wagering closed for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby early Friday evening.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Despite her status as the reigning champion 2-year-old filly, Beholder was the forgotten filly of this year’s Kentucky Oaks.
Though she wound up a half-length short to longshot Princess of Sylmar in Friday’s 139th renewal of the Oaks, Beholder demonstrated some of the traits that made her a champion.
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Kentucky Oaks Order of finish
Finish, Horse, Jockey, Trainer
1. Princess of Sylmar, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher
2. Beholder, Garrett Gomez, Richard Mandella
3. Unlimited Budget, Javier Castellano, Todd Pletcher
4. Dreaming of Julia , John Velazquez , Todd Pletcher
5. Midnight Lucky, Rafael Bejarano, Bob Baffert
6. Pure Fun, Julien Leparoux, Ken McPeek
7. Close Hatches, Joel Rosario, Bill Mott
8. Rose to Gold, Calvin Borel, Sal Santoro
9. Seaneen Girl, Rosie Napravnik, Bernard Flint
One of trainer Chris Block’s more promising 2013 runners, the 4-year-old filly Leading Astray, has been retired and bred to Kitten’s Joy, Block said.
Leading Astray, bred and owned by Block’s family, won the Grade 3 Pucker Up for 3-year-old fillies here last summer and subsequently finished second or third in three other graded turf stakes. She was injured while exercising in Florida this winter and now is a member of the Blocks’ excellent band of broodmares.
“It’s really a shame,” Block said. “I think she had a bright future.”
There are no graded stakes on Sunday’s 10-race card at Belmont Park, but a Grade 1 winner returns to action in the $90,000 You Go West Girl, one of three stakes for New York-breds along with divisions of the $100,000 New York Stallion for 3-year-olds.
