Connections help Pauline’s Pearl to Fantasy win
Pace helped, as did a barn full of celebrated connections on opening day of Oaklawn’s Racing Festival of the South.
As her trainer hoped, Ava’s Grace led from the gate, but
4-5 favorite Pauline’s Pearl had a head in front at the top the stretch and inched away from the endless persistence of the pacesetter to win the Grade 3
$600,000 Fantasy Stakes for three-year-old fillies. Pauline’s Pearl took the mile-and-1/16 race by one length in 1:43.64 before an estimated crowd of
5,000 at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort Saturday.
Cypress Creek Equine’s Ava’s Grace, off at 8-1 in the field of six, finished second, three-quarters of a length in front of Coach in third. Take Charge Lorin finished fourth at 12-1 odds, 5 1/4 lengths behind the winner.
Sun Path, the 2-1 morning-line second-choice, awoke Saturday morning with a fever and was scratched.
Stonestreet Stables’ Pauline’s Pearl is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and ridden by seven-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr.
“Ricardo used some of her away from there, made sure they were going along,” Asmussen said. “We did not want to be a victim of what appeared on paper could be
a paceless race. He said they were going good in front of her. He said she was carrying him beautifully, and he was very confident with where he was at.”
With the win, Pauline’s Pearl earned 100 of the 170 available Kentucky Oaks points to assure herself a place in the 14-stall Oaks starting gate at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 30.
Ava’s Grace, a daughter of Laoban and ridden by Ramon Vazquez and trained by Robertino Diodoro, had never raced beyond 6 1/2 furlongs but showed her one-turn talent from the start. She led through the first quarter-mile in 23.11 seconds and the half in 46.86, both ahead of, in order, Take Charge Lorin, Sylvia Q and Pauline’s Pearl, a daughter of Tapit and the mare Hot Dixie Chick.
In Oaklawn’s previous Oaks qualifier, the Grade III Honeybee Stakes on March 6, Pauline’s Pearl and Sun Path were stuck behind the slow pace of frontrunner and eventual winner Will’s Secret. Pauline’s Pearl finished second, three-quarters of a length behind Will’s Secret and another three-quarters in front of third-place Sun Path.
The ease of her Honeybee lead, established with a first quarter-mile of 24.25, turned Will’s Secret uncatchable in the stretch.
“The winner was able to go really, really slow,” said Sun Path’s jockey Joe Talamo. “That was a pretty pedestrian pace that we were following. That didn’t really help.”
Will’s Secret, owned by Marshall’s Willis Horton and ridden by Oaklawn regular Jon Court, finished third in the six-filly Grade I Ashland Stake’s field at Keeneland, also on Saturday, and has earned an Oaks start.
Ava’s Grace offered speed to the Fantasy and also showed she has the potential to carry it through the wire of a graded-stakes route.
“She ran a great race,” Vazquez said. “She had never run long before. She tried hard. She got a little bit tired. She’s a nice filly.”
Ava’s Grace earned 40 Oaks points with her second-place finish to rank 12th on the final Oaks qualifying list.
After three-quarters passed in 1:11.84, Pauline’s Pearl pulled in front. As Ava’s Grace pushed her through the stretch, Kueber Racing’s Coach, trained by 2020 Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox and ridden by Fernando De La Cruz, passed Take Charge Lorin to move into third as they turned for home.
Santana Jr. rode four winners from Asmussen’s barn to start the Festival, but none were more meaningful than Pauline’s Pearl.
“We had a good trip,” he said. “Everything worked out. She broke to run, settled down pretty well, and I thank God for the victory today. I think she has a great future.”
Five races before the Fantasy, Abrogate won Oaklawn’s
$200,000 six-furlong Purple Martin Stakes for three-yearold fillies.
• Abrogate, owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong of Conway and trained by Asmussen, was also ridden by Santana Jr.
“She showed the quality she has under very good conditions,” Asmussen said. “She’s a very good filly, and we see good things in her future.”
WSS Racing’s Joyful Cadence, trained by John Ortiz and ridden by David Cabrera, finished half a length behind the winner and another halflength in front of third-place Windmill, the 4-5 favorite owned by Fox Hill Farm, ridden by Talamo and trained by Larry Jones. Winchell Thoroughbred’s Devilish Wit finished fourth in the field of five.
Asmussen acknowledged he leans towards sentiment on racing days that turn the way of the one just completed.
“I just love the family, the pedigree, a filly from a mare named after my mom, Dixie Chick, you know, a family that (includes Tapit),” he said. “It’s more of the same. I’m spoiled by it but love to see it continue.”