Bellafina Tries for Churchill Redemption As Oaks Favorite

[Wandering Eyes]

Heading into last fall’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, it appeared to many as though the $2-million affair would be just the finishing touch on a championship season for Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina (Quality Road). After all, the $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream graduate was coming off of two Grade I victories, neither of which pushed her to her limit. But after a bit of an awkward beginning, the bay chased the pace and came up empty in the stretch, finishing a well-beaten fourth behind Jaywalk (Cross Traffic). That was more than enough to swing the division title to the winner, who had previously annexed a Grade I of her own, and Bellafina came up empty on Eclipse night.

Those events will be rendered ancient history, however, if Bellafina can come through when she’s likely to be heavily favored once more under the Twin Spires, in Friday’s $1.25-million GI Kentucky Oaks.

Given a brief break after the Breeders’ Cup, the Simon Callaghan trainee earned a career high with an effortless 8 1/2-length conquest of the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 6 at Santa Anita. She had to work harder in a 3/4-length score in the GII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 9, but got back to her dominant ways with a 5 1/4-length tally in the GI Santa Anita Oaks last out Apr. 6. She stayed on her toes with a half-mile bullet work in :48 flat (1/47) Apr. 19 at Santa Anita.

Jaywalk re-opposes with plenty to prove despite the hardware in her trophy case. Leaving no doubt with a 5 1/2-length score in the Breeders’ Cup, the gray has looked a shell of that filly in two starts as a 3-year-old. Backed down to 1-5 returning in the GII Davona Dale S. Mar. 2, she was a punchless fourth. Running a bit better after setting a quick pace in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. Apr. 6 at Keeneland, she nevertheless was third at even-money behind a pair of today’s rivals.

Made the second choice of fillies in the main body of the field on the morning line, Six Column Stables & Randall Bloch’s Champagne Anyone (Street Sense) has been a new horse as a sophomore. Fourth in the GII Golden Rod S. in her best moment at two, she returned with a pair of thirds in the GIII Forward Gal S. and Davona Dale before breaking through while showing much more early lick in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Mar. 30.

Joel Politi’s Serengeti Empress has been a feast-or-famine sort for trainer Tom Amoss. Following up a 13 1/2-length romp in the Ellis Park Debutante S. last summer with a devastating 19 1/2-length tour de force in the GII Pocahontas S., the dark bay was no match for top company when fading to seventh in the Breeders’ Cup. She bounced back with an easy score in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds, but stopped badly to finish last in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 23. Her last two breezes jump off the page, however, especially a five-furlong spin in :58 1/5 (1/30) Apr. 23 on this track. New pilot Jose Ortiz will almost certainly be gunning from the 13-hole.

Three Chimneys Farm & Fern Circle Stables’ Restless Rider (Distorted Humor) could be sitting on a peak effort and will need to be from the widest draw. Winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last fall, she was second to Jaywalk in the Breeders’ Cup and has narrowly missed in her last two, finishing a nose second in the Golden Rod and runner-up by a neck in the Ashland. This will be her second start as a 3-year-old, and she tuned up with a five-panel breeze in :59 4/5 (2/10) here Apr. 29.

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