By Bill Finley
Prep season is over, and now it's time to get down to business. A deep field will line up for the GI Kentucky Oaks, led by the undefeated Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro). In most years, she'd be 4-5 or lower, but there are enough quality fillies lining up for the race that you might see 2-1 on her. Since the last installment, La Cara (Street Sense) moved up the charts with a win in the GI Ashland S., Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) nosed out Early On (Union Rags) to win a slowly run GIII Gazelle S. and Tenma (Nyquist) kept rolling, winning the GII Santa Anita Oaks for her third straight victory.
Here's a look at the eighth installment of our Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for 2025:
1) GOOD CHEER (Medaglia d'Oro–Wedding Toast, by Street Sense) O/B-Godolphin (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 6-6-0-0, $877,630. Last Start: Won Mar. 22 GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Kentucky Oaks Points 145. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
If someone beats her in the Oaks, they're going to have to run the race of their life. She is a perfect 6-for-6 in her career and the closest anyone has come to beating her is 2 1/2 lengths. That was her winning margin when she beat the formidable Quietside (Malibu Moon) in last year's GII Golden Rod S. Beyer devotees may be looking to beat her as her figures aren't that much faster than some of her Oaks opponents, but this is definitely a case where you have to look past the numbers. This is a very good horse and unless she picks Oaks day to throw in her first clunker, she should win.
2) TENMA (Nyquist–Amagansett, by Tapit) O-Baoma Corp.; B-B Flay Thoroughbreds (Ky); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $200,000 yrl '23 KEESEP; $850,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GISW, 6-5-0-1, $549,000. Last Start: WON Apr. 5 GII Santa Anita Oaks. Kentucky Oaks Points: 108. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
Despite getting only a 75 Beyer in her win in the GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks, Tenma remains in second in this poll. She's a better horse than that number suggests. It was a five-horse field and, in all likelihood, trainer Bob Baffert didn't have her cranked up for her best. There was no need to considering the main goal is, of course, the Kentucky Oaks. She ran a 92 when winning the GIII Las Virgenes S. in her prior start. The one worry may be that Tenma has never run in a race with more than seven horses. The Las Virgenes had a field of only three. If you like this one in the Oaks, you are putting your faith in Baffert to have her run the best race of her life. It can happen
3) QUIETSIDE (Malibu Moon–Benner Island, by Speightstown) 'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Shortleaf Stable (Ky); T-John Ortiz. Lifetime Record: GSW & MGISP, 6-2-3-1, $552,200. Last Start: WON Mar. 29 GII Fantasy Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 168. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
This daughter of Malibu Moon is a bit of an enigma. She looked fantastic when breaking her maiden last year at Saratoga, then proceeded to go on a four-race losing streak. Yes, she was facing some of the best fillies in her division, but she just wasn't getting it done. Just when it looked like she'd be an also-ran in the Oaks, she's emerged as the hottest 3-year-old filly in training with wins in the GIII Honeybee S. and the GII Fantasy S. Trainer John Ortiz doesn't have the reputation of a Baffert, Chad Brown or Todd Pletcher, but he's good. Year after year he wins in the 15 to 18% range.
4) LA CARA (Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini) O/B-Tracy Farmer (Ky); T-Mark Casse. Lifetime Record: GSW, 9-4-2-0, $866,083. Last Start: WON GI Ashland Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 151.75. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
After a disappointing second-place finish in the GII Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale S., this Mark Casse-trainee put it all together with a solid win in the GI Ashland S., run Monday at Keeneland. Once again, she looked like the horse who won last year's GIII Pocahontas S. and this year's Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs. The key for her seems to be her early speed, which she flashed again in the Ashland. She's 3-for-4 when leading at the first call and 1-for-5 in all other races. Casse is a cagey trainer and it may just be that he has been cognizant of leaving something in the tank for the Kentucky Oaks. She has a big shot, especially if she gets the right trip.
La Cara | Coady Media
5) FIVE G (Vekoma–Triumphant, by Quality Road) O/B-Gatsas Stables (NY); T-George Weaver. Lifetime Record: SW & GSP, 5-2-2-0, $240,290. Last Start: WON GII Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks. Kentucky Oaks Points: 125. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
Just one more horse by sire Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) who can really run. Vekoma appeared to be at his best in one-turn races, but Five G is one of many by the sire that appears to have no problem going a distance. She's also a frontrunner, so the hope will be that there is not too much speed in the Oaks. She got away with easy fractions when winning the GII Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks, but has also won coming from off the pace. A versatile filly, she was running on the grass for trainer George Weaver, who switched her over to the dirt for the Fasig-Tipton Cash Run S., which she won by nine lengths.
6) SIMPLY JOKING (Practical Joke–Imply, by E Dubai) O-Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner, & Berkels0813; B-Barlar LLC (Pa); T-D Whitworth Beckman. Sales history: $65,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MSW & GSP, 3-2-1-0, $288,000. Last Start: 2nd Mar. 29 GII Fantasy Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 70. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
Still another horse who does her best running on the lead. Will there be a pace meltdown in the Oaks? But she's also very live. Lightly raced with just three career starts, all of them in stakes races, she ran a big race to be second behind Quietside in the Fantasy, which was her first race in 70 days. She's bound to improve in the Oaks, but her running style may work against her. Cost just $65,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September.
7) TAKE CHARGE MILADY (Take Charge Indy–Price Too High, by Scat Daddy) O-James Ball, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek), and Kenneth Rhodes; B-Merriebelle Stable (Ky); T-Kenneth McPeek. Sales history: $60,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW & GISP, 6-2-2-0, $416,469. Last Start: 2nd GI Ashland Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 70. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
Can Kenny McPeek win the Oaks in back-to-back years? This filly is no Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), but she's a proven stakes horse that, if she runs her very best, might just get the job done. Like so many others from the McPeek barn, she was a bargain-basement buy, costing just $60,000 at Keeneland September. After a disastrous 10th-place finish in the Honeybee, the real Take Charge Milady showed up when second in the Ashland behind La Cara. McPeek's go-to jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount.
Ballerina d'Oro outbattles Early On in the Gazelle | Sarah Andrew
8) BALLERINA D'ORO (Medaglia d'Oro–In the Moonlight, by Tapit) O-Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Chad Brown. Sales history: $320,000 yrl '23 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-2-1-1, $286,975. Last Start: WON GIII Gazelle Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 116.25. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
Chad Brown made the right move when deciding to run this filly in the GIII Gazelle S. instead of in the Ashland S. With his filly short on points, he needed to find a spot where she could handle the competition. She got the job done and the 100 points she earned guaranteed her a spot in the Oaks field. That's the good news. The bad news is that she won by a mere nose and the final time for the mile-and-an-eighth was 1:50.67. That was good enough for only a 79 Beyer. She was a $320,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.
9) MUHIMMA (Munnings–Princesa Carolina, by Tapit) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Shadwell Stable; B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $700,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-2, $391,648. Last Start: Third GI Ashland Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 50. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
She's been a disappointment this year. She looked like a star in the making after going 3-for-3 last year and ending her season with a win in the GII Demoiselle S. But little has gone right for her this year. She's 0-for-2 and was a non-threatening third in both the Ashland and the Honeybee. Brad Cox is a magician when it comes to young fillies, but he's really got his work cut out for him with this one.
10) EARLY ON (Union Rags–Sally O'Brien, by Distorted Humor) O-C2 Racing Stable, Ken Reimer, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, & Bradley Kent; B-John Lauriello (NY); T-Saffie Joseph, Jr. Sales history: $20,000 yrl '23 FTNAUG. Lifetime Record: GSP, 6-1-3-1, $162,200. Last Start: Second Apr. 5 GIII Gazelle Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 75. Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, May 2.
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., this is the filly that nearly upset Ballerina d'Oro in the Gazelle. She dueled with the odds-on favorite through the stretch run to fall short by only a nose. With Javier Castellano aboard, she was more forwardly placed than she had been in other races. Prior to the Gazelle, she was second in the Virginia Oaks. She also gets a 79 Beyer for her Gazelle performance and looks to be too slow to win a race as tough as the Oaks.
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