The Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Mar. 27

[Wandering Eyes]

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

Things are really starting to heat up. Last weekend saw Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), who is now 6 for 6, winning the Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks. For now, she looks like a strong favorite in the GI Kentucky Oaks. At Turfway Park, Bless the Broken (Laoban) won the Bourbonette Oaks, but didn't show enough versus a weak field to crack our top 10. This will be a huge weekend of preps that will include the GII Gulfsteam Park Oaks and the GII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn.

 

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
All she does is win. Good Cheer has yet to run a big number. The 90 she received for winning the Fair Grounds Oaks is her career best. And she doesn't take your breath away during her races. In most of her races, it looks, early on, like she's going to put in a pedestrian effort and then the next thing you know she's somehow four in front at the wire.  She's now 6 for 6 and the closest anyone has come to her is 2 1/2 lengths, the distance between her and runner-up Quietside (Malibu Moon) in the GII Golden Rod Stakes. Brad Cox is good at a lot of things, but his biggest strength is creating top-class 3-year-old fillies.

 

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, 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.
If Tenma wins the GII Santa Anita Oaks, which she should, she'll likely be the second choice in the Kentucky Oaks. Trainer Bob Baffert has been patient with this filly, which is why he didn't run her in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. It has paid off as she is 2-for-2 since, including an impressive victory in GIII Las Virgenes Stakes. Tenma was his eighth consecutive winner in the Las Virgenes for Baffert. With all the top 3-year-old fillies he has had over the years, surprising to see that Baffert has won the Kentucky Oaks only three times.

 

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 Feb. 23 GIII Honeybee S. Kentucky Oaks Points: 68. Next Start: GII Fantasy Stakes, OP, Mar. 29.
After a string of second and third-place finishes, Quietside finally broke through to win the GIII Honeybee, which had a loaded field. She goes next in Saturday's GII Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn, where she's the 2-1 morning line second choice. “Maintenance,” John Ortiz told the Oaklawn notes team after Quietside worked four furlongs in 49 seconds last Sunday. “We already know she's fast. She looked really good. Ramon (Vazquez) jumped off the horse and he called me right away. He says: 'Johnny, I got a little tingle in my tummy when I went down the stretch because she really knows how to stretch out. Nice maintenance, felt great, galloped out nicely, he said. He said all the gears lined up.'” Now must prove that she can put in two big efforts back-to-back.

 

4) 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, 4-3-0-1, $319,460. Last Start: Third Feb. 23 GIII Honeybee Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 25. Next Start: GI Ashland Stakes, Kee, Apr. 4.
Formerly No. 1 in this poll, she slipped down to fourth after a lackluster third-place finish in the Honeybee. Considering how well she ran in her final start as a 2-year-old, earning a victory in the GII Demoiselle Stakes, the race was a disappointment. Maybe she didn't make the transition from two to three or maybe she just had a bad day We shall find out in the GI Ashland, where she'll need a big effort to stay in the conversation when it comes to the top 3-year-old fillies in training.

 

5) MAYSAM (Game Winner–Sefani, by American Pharoah) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Michael L Petersen; B-Seclusive Farm, Chester & Anne Prince (Ky); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $140,000 yrl '23 FTKJUL; $500,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-0, $98,500. Last Start: WON Mar. 2 GIII Fasig-Tipton Santa Ysabel Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 25. Next Start: TBD.
After a horrible effort by Maysam in the Sunland Park Oaks, where she was the 1-10 favorite, Bob Baffert was left with no choice but to run her back in two weeks to try to get her back on track. It worked as she gamely fought off Supa Speed (Justify) to win the GIII Fasig-Tipton Santa Ysabel Stakes by a nose. It has been a less than smooth journey to the Kentucky Oaks for her, and that's a big factor with this horse. But this appears to be a talented filly who could win if things go her way. She looked sensational breaking her maiden at Santa Anita by six lengths on Jan. 24.

Maysam winning the GIII Santa Ysabel | Benoit Photo

 

6) 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: Second Feb. 23 GIII Honeybee Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 25. Next Start: Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks, GP, March 29
The Gulfstream Park Oaks will be a big test for this daughter of Vekoma. After two turf starts, the New York-bred looked terrific when switching to the dirt and winning the Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream by nine lengths. After finishing a close second in the Honeybee, she returns home to South Florida to take on an interesting group of six opponents. Note that Irad Ortiz Jr. took off her to stick with The Queens M G (Thousand Words). Considering that she won a mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden on the turf at Aqueduct, distance should not be a problem

 

7) 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: MGSP, 5-1-1-1, $176,975. Last Start: Third Mar. 1 GII Davona Dale Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 16.25. Next Start: GI Ashland Stakes, Kee, April 4
If not trained by Chad Brown, Ballerina d'Oro wouldn't make this list. But it looks like Brown has carefully crafted a plan to get her to the Oaks at her very best, and it may just result in a win. She was supposed to make her 3-year-old debut in the Rachel Alexandra, but was knocked out of that race by a fever. Brown had to wait all the way to March 1 and the GII Davona Dale Stakes to get her back on track. She ran third, but considering the layoff and that the race, at a mile, was a bad fit for her distance-wise, it was an encouraging effort. She should run much better next time.

 

8) 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, 2-2-0-0, $153,000. Last Start: WON Jan. 18 Silverbulletday Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: GII Fantasy Stakes, OP, March 29
It's now or never for the daughter of Practical Joke. She was entered in the Rachel Alexandra, but lost her appetite a few days before the race. Trainer Whit Beckman ordered a blood test that revealed a developing illness. Simply Joking recovered fairly quickly and is now entered as the morning line favorite in Saturday's Fantasy at Oaklawn. She's 2-for-2 and has a win in the Silverbulletday Stakes on her record, but she hasn't run since Jan. 18 and has zero Kentucky Oaks points. To win the Fantasy won't be easy, but maybe she's that good.

 

9) LA CARA (Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini) O/B-Tracy Farmer (Ky); T-Mark Casse. Lifetime Record: GSW, 8-3-2-0, $418,520. Last Start: Second Mar. 1 GII Davona Dale Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 51.75. Next Start: GI Ashland Stakes, Kee, April 4.
She looked like she was ready to have a big year after romping in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa in her 3-year-old debut. She dropped back to a one-turn, one-mile race for the Davona Dale and the results were less than encouraging. She finished third in a race where the winner, The Queens M G (Thousand Words), turned in a Beyer of only 80. She's been a little bit erratic throughout her career. There's every chance she cold jump up in the Ashland and run a big race.

 

10) THE QUEENS M G (Thousand Words–Show Queen, by Grindstone) O-C2 Racing Stable LLC & Mathis Stable LLC; B-T F VanMeter, Samuel Hernandez, Jesus Torres, Justin Vinalay (Ky); T-Saffie Joseph, Jr. Sales history: $3,500 yrl '23 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 8-4-0-2, $422,480. Last Start: WON Mar. 1 GII Davona Dale Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 43.5. Next Start: GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, GP, March 29
She's dangerous when the races are shorter and around one-turn. She won the one-turn, one-mile Davona Dale Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths and also won last year's GIII Adirondack Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs and the six-furlong Schuylerville Stakes at six-furlongs. But she's never been two turns. So the big question for her is can she handle the distance in the mile-and-a-sixteenth Gulfstream Park Oaks?  She doesn't look like a two-turn horse, but we'll give her a chance to prove us wrong Saturday at Gulfstream.

 

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