Kentucky Oaks

Live racing has been canceled at Laurel Park for this coming Saturday, Mar. 14 due to insufficient entries, the track announced Monday morning. With the impending meeting at Colonial Downs set to kick off Thursday, Mar. 12, and two Points races for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 14 at that venue, Laurel Park will move all originally scheduled races for Saturday to Sunday, Mar. 15 as overnight extras. There will be live racing Friday, Mar. 13 with an eight-race program with first post at 12:00pm...

By any measure, Steve and Denise Smith's Mesingw Farm, which celebrated just its fifth anniversary in December, had a banner year in 2025. From the sales ring, where the operation sold its first seven-figure yearling, to the racetrack where it had a graded-stakes placed juvenile at Saratoga in August and a Breeders' Cup starter in November, Mesingw was hitting on all cylinders. The momentum has carried into the new year with the Mesingw-bred Explora (Blame) a leading choice for the GI Kentucky Oaks following her win in the GIII Honeybee...

The biggest move made in this week's poll was the jump made by Explora (Blame) after her game win in the GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn. She jumped from seventh to third. The latest list also includes She Be Smooth (Lexitonian), who lands at No. 4 after her impressive win in the GII Davona Dale Stakes. It will be a quiet weekend for the 3-year-old filly division, but they will run the rescheduled GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita. All eyes will be on last year's 2-year-old filly...

The beautifully-bred Paradise (Gun Runner) made easy work of a short field in Saturday's Busher Stakes to claim her first points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. A $700,000 Saratoga yearling purchase for a partnership which is now NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods, the daughter of MGSW/MGISP Venetian Harbor (Munnings) just broke her maiden at Gulfstream going this same one-mile distance Jan. 4 before shipping into New York to face just four rivals for 37.5 Oaks points. Third in the opening furlong but clearly wanting to do more under...

The late trainers Christophe Clement and John Shirreffs, as well as GI Belmont Stakes-winning filly Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) are among 13 finalists who will appear on this year's ballot for inclusion in the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. Clement, who passed away last spring, trained Eclipse champion Gio Ponti, as well as Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist. Shirreffs, who passed away earlier this month, trained four-time champion Zenyatta, as well as GI Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo. The two trainers are joined on the ballot by Ken McPeek,...

Unbeaten 3-year-old fillies Zany (American Pharoah) and Bella Ballerina (Street Sense), one-two on the most recent TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10, lead the list of 89 early nominations to this year's GI Kentucky Oaks, released Tuesday by Churchill Downs. Repole Stable's Zany is three-for-three following her win in the Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes and is expected to make her next start in the Apr. 3 GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes. Godolphin's Bella Ballerina took her record to a matching three-for-three with her victory in the Feb. 14 GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel...

12th-GP, $84k, Msw, 3yo, f, 7 1/2fT, post time: 5:50 p.m. ET Dreaming of Joy (Into Mischief), a half-sister to brilliant two-time champion, GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Malathaat (Curlin), debuts on the lawn for trainer Brad Cox. Owned by Whisper Hill Farm and bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the daughter of Broodmare of the Year and GISW Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy) RNA'd for $875,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. TJCIS PPs 5th-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo, 1m, post time: 3:12 p.m. ET Pauillac (Gun Runner),...

There's still time for this flashy maiden winner to earn her way to the big dance. One of three upcoming GI Kentucky Oaks preps--the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Mar. 28, GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 21 or GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland Apr. 3--could be in play for Prom Queen (Quality Road), an eight-length winner at second asking for trainer Brad Cox at Gulfstream Park Feb. 12. "Just a little early to say which one makes the most sense right now," Cox said. "I sure like her. Longer...

There was only one graded stakes race on the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks this weekend, but it was a big one. The GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes has produced 12 winners of the Oaks. The list includes last year's Oaks champion Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) and 2023 winner Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief). So, it meant something when Bella Ballerina (Street Sense) scored a game victory to win the race by a half-length, especially when you consider that she is a half-sister to Pretty Mischievous. So, here goes, your...

Jill Baffert's Bottle of Rouge (Vino Rosso), the 2-5 favorite, survived a steward's inquiry to secure 20 qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Oaks with her victory in the Sunland Park Oaks Sunday evening in New Mexico. Winner of last year's GI Del Mar Debutante, Bouttle of Rouge was making her first start since finishing sixth in the Oct. 31 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar. The gray filly stalked the pace three wide as Cashed (I'll Have Another) took the field through fractions of :23.85 and :46.80....

It's been three weeks since our last GI Kentucky Oaks Top 10, and a lot has happened. But no one stepped up with the type of explosive performance that would have shaken up the standings. We've dropped four horses from our original poll. Mythical (St. Patrick's Day) just wasn't good enough in the GIII Forward Gal Stakes. Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) has been injured and has been taken off the Oaks trail. Percy's Bar (Upstart) hasn't had a workout since Jan. 6, which doesn't bode well for her making the...

Submissions to participate in the Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade May 1 are open now through Mar. 3. This year's Survivors Parade will honor 150 Breast and Ovarian cancer survivors and fighters with tickets for the selected recipient and a guest to attend the Kentucky Oaks and to participate in a march on the Churchill Downs track. Those who have overcome or are battling a breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis who have never participated in the Oaks Survivors Parade can submit their stories here. Participants will be chosen randomly and will...