The TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 For Feb. 20

[Wandering Eyes]

The GIII Honeybee Stakes, rescheduled for Sunday at Oaklawn, looks like the toughest GI Kentucky Oaks prep race run so far this year. Led by 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma (Munnings), the field of 12 includes five horses that are in our Top 10.

In last week's action, the GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes, expected to have a powerhouse field of seven, was decimated by scratches. The defectors included the highly regarded Simply Joking (Practical Joke), who was scratched because her white blood cell count was below normal. Though she still may have time to make the Oaks, she's been dropped out of the Top 10. The other major scratch was Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), who was second in last year's GII Demoiselle Stakes. Also dropped from the list was Maysam (Game Winner). Sent off at 1-10 in the Sunland Park Oaks after an explosive maiden win for Bob Baffert, she finished sixth in a dull effort.

Here's a look at the third installment of our Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for 2025:

1) 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, 3-3-0-0, $279,460. Last Start: Won Dec. 7 GII Demoiselle Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 10. Next Start: GIII Honeybee Stakes, OP, Feb. 23.

It's finally time to see what our No. 1 is going to do on the racetrack this year. When last seen, she won the Dec. 7 GII Demoiselle S. at Aqueduct. It was her third lifetime start and in each one she improved. Trained by Brad Cox, she's going to have to keep getting better as the top of this division is loaded, as is the Honeybee. Tactics will be interesting in this race. She drew the one post and will once again have Florent Geroux aboard. If the Cox team wants to get a clear lead, Muhimma probably wouldn't have any problem doing so. But the other option is teaching her to rate. With all the weather problems this year in Arkansas and in New Orleans, it looks like Cox made a smart move, letting this one spend the winter training at balmy Payson Park in Florida.

2) GOOD CHEER (Medaglia d'Oro–Wedding Toast, by Street Sense) O/B-Godolphin (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 5-5-0-0, $637,630. Last Start: Won Feb. 15 GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points 45. Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks., FG, Mar. 15.

Even though they could find only four horses to tackle Good Cheer in the GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes, the race turned interesting. Sent off at 1-20, Good Cheer settled into last in the early going of the race. Luis Saez had plenty of horse, but the other three riders seemed intent on forming a roadblock in front of him and blocking her in. Saez didn't find running room until the three-sixteenths pole. When she did, she was gone. It's hard to prove anything in a four-horse field, especially when the top two threats were scratched, but Good Cheer never left any doubt that she was by far the best horse in the race. She's now five-for-five lifetime and if stablemate Muhimma does not win the Honeybee, Good Cheer is certain to become No. 1 in next week's poll.

3) 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, 5-4-0-1, $429,000. Last Start: Won Feb. 2 GIII Fasig-Tipton Las Virgenes Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 33. Next Start: GII Santa Anita Oaks, SA, Apr. 5.

Unless he's got something else we don't know about yet, Bob Baffert may have only one horse make it to this year's Oaks. But, in Tenma, at least it's a good one. An $850,000 purchase last year at OBS April, she's coming off a win in the GIII Fasig-Tipton Las Virgenes Stakes. The good news is that she won easily. The bad news is that there were only three horses in the race, so she wasn't given a chance to prove anything. Baffert might want to to consider Las Virgenes runner-up Cipriani (Bernardini) for the Kentucky Oaks as she picked up 10 points. But she's just not in Tenma's league, not to mention the other nine horses in this poll. Tenma returned to the workout tab on Wednesday, breezing four furlongs in :48:00.

4) TAKE CHARGE MILADY (Take Charge Indy–Price Too High, by Scat Daddy) O-James Ball, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) & Kenneth Rhodes; B-Merriebelle Stable, LLC (Ky); T-Kenneth McPeek. Sales history: $60,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-1-0, $259,594. Last Start: Won Jan. 25 Martha Washington Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: GIII Honeybee S., OP, Feb. 23.

The Honeybee will be a huge test for this Kenny McPeek-trained filly. She got off to a slow start, getting drubbed in a maiden at Ellis in her debut. But McPeek has found a way to get a little bit more out of her with each subsequent start. With Julien Leparoux aboard, she ran a monster race in the Martha Washington Stakes to win by 5 3/4 lengths. So, she's good enough to win a non-graded stakes race, but is she good enough to compete with some of the monsters in this race? Take Charge Milady has some tactical speed and drew the six post in the field of 13. All of which means she should get a good trip.

5) LA CARA (Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini) O/B-Tracy Farmer (Ky); T-Mark Casse. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-3-1-0, $378,520. Last Start: Won Feb. 8 Suncoast Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 33. Next Start: GII Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale Stakes, GP, Mar. 1.

This filly might sneak up on some people. After winning the GIII Pocahontas Stakes last year she was a distant fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. But she seemed like a filly on a mission when she made her 3-year-old debut in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa and won by 6 1/4 lengths for trainer Mark Casse and jockey Dylan Davis. “The Suncoast is kind of a sneaky good race,” Casse said. “I like the Suncoast and the reason why you'll see horses going there from Gulfstream is that Gulfstream doesn't give us a two-turn race for the 3-year-old fillies. If you're trying to get a two-turn race and you want to stay in Florida, you've got to go to the Suncoast. We went to California with seven Breeders' Cup horses last year. We didn't win any, but most of our horses showed up and ran well. She did not. I don't know why, because she trained great into the race. But again, not every horse can take shipping and going across country like that. She was very disappointing to me, but it looks like she is back.”

6) LOOK FORWARD (Bolt d'Oro–Troublesome, by Into Mischief) O-Reddam Racing LLC; B-Woods Edge Farm LLC & Ballyfair Bloodstock (Ky); T-Michael McCarthy. Sales history: $285,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW & GSP, 3-2-1-0, $132,400. Last Start: Won Jan. 5 Santa Ynez Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 15. Next Start: GIII Honeybee Stakes, OP, Feb. 23.

Still another horse who needs to run big in the Honeybee to prove she deserves to be considered one of the best in her division. She's won just twice, winning two sprint races. In her lone try around two turns, she was second behind Tenma in the GII Starlet Stakes. It was a solid effort and she put up a fight against the best 2-year-old filly in Southern California. But it sill begs the question as to whether or not she might be better off sprinting. This race should provide the answer. Trainer Michael McCarthy has been confident all along that his filly can handle two turns and a distance. Drew post nine for the Honeybee and Mario Gutierrez will ride.

7) QUIETSIDE (Malibu Moon–Benner Island, by Speightstown) 'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Shortleaf Stable (Ky); T-John Ortiz. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 5-1-3-1, $312,200. Last Start: Second in Jan. 25 Martha Washington Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 18. Next Start: GIII Honeybee Stakes, OP, Feb. 23.

Not much left to say about this filly who has been in our Top 10 all year, but hasn't run since the Jan. 25 Martha Washington.  In picking the Honeybee for her to make her second start of the year, trainer John Ortiz certainly isn't babying this horse. That she drew the 12 post could be a problem, but she will have the red-hot Jose Ortiz aboard in the saddle. It will be his job to make sure she doesn't lose too much ground on the first turn. Considering the post position and the strength of this field, a second or third-place finish could be seen as a moral victory for the horse owned by Shortleaf Stable.

8) RUNNIN N GUNNIN (Gun Runner–Charity Belle, by Empire Maker) O-Douglas Scharbauer; B-Dixiana Farms, LLC (Ky); T-Steve Asmussen. Sale history: $250,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 6-3-0-0, $193,940. Last Start: Won Feb. 16 Sunland Park Oaks. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: TBD.

Things could not have gone better for Steve Asmussen in last Sunday's Sunland Park Oaks. Not only did he finish one-two with Runnin N Gunnin and Enchanting (Gun Runner), but both are by Gun Runner, the super sire who was trained by Asmussen. With the Sunland Park Oaks you'll always have those 'but who did she beat?' questions, which is only fair when it comes to this year's edition. Maysam, the 1-10 favorite from the Baffert barn, didn't show up, finishing sixth. That left six other horses, including three maidens.

9) RUNNING AWAY (Gun Runner–Allez Marie, by Unbridled's Song) O/B-Stud TNT (Ky); T-Wesley Ward. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-1-1, $166,875. Last Start: Won Jan. 18 Busanda Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: GI Ashland Stakes, Kee, Apr. 4.

More so than perhaps any trainer, Wesley Ward loves to space out the races for his horses. When Running Away won the Jan. 18 Busanda S. at Aqueduct, there were plenty of races on calendar that she could have gone in. Instead, Ward has picked the GI Ashland Stakes on Apr. 4 at Keeneland for her next start. That means this daughter of Gun Runner will have had 81 days off between races. “She is training forwardly for the Ashland at her home base at Keeneland,” Ward said. “Running Away is a big, rangy filly that needed more time to develop. We knew early on she would be more effective going two turns.”

10) FIVE G (Vekoma–Triumphant, by Quality Road) O/B-Gatsas Stables (NY); T-George Weaver. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-1-0, $160,290. Last Start: Won Jan. 1 Fasig-Tipton Cash Run Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 0. Next Start: GIII Honeybee S, OP, Feb. 23.

Another fast and talented offspring of Vekoma, Five G will be put to the test in the Honeybee. As with Quietside, the post is an issue. She drew the 13 hole, and Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard. She has tactical speed, so Ortiz may want to push her early to get into the mix and also to save some ground. After a dismal debut on the dirt in a maiden race in August at Saratoga, she tried the turf in her next two starts. She won a New York-bred maiden and then finished second against open company on the grass in the Tepin Stakes. But it appears that trainer George Weaver wanted to give her one more try on the dirt and Five G delivered with a nine-length romp in the Cash Run Stakes. As is the case with so many others in the Honeybee field, this looks like a make-or-break race for the filly.

The post The TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 For Feb. 20 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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