Undefeated Horse Favorite for Kentucky Oaks Preview

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00:00And when we start at the fairgrounds, we may be looking at the betting favorite for the

00:06Kentucky Oaks.

00:07She is undefeated right now.

00:09She is five for five.

00:10She has literally done nothing wrong.

00:12I'm talking about good cheer for trainer Brad Cox, who most recently won the grade two

00:18Rachel Alexandra.

00:20What has been so impressive to me, at least about her, not only that she's five for five,

00:25she's winning.

00:26She really hasn't even been tested.

00:29She hasn't been challenged.

00:30I don't think we've even scratched the surface of what she could do, Alexa.

00:35I know.

00:36I totally agree.

00:37I don't think there's any doubt that she's the best horse in this field.

00:39I'm having flashbacks to Torpedo Anna, who ended up being our horse of the year and also

00:44Oaks winner.

00:45So you never know what we're looking at here.

00:48If there's one horse who could maybe be a big threat, I think the three is really interesting.

00:56Also undefeated, but only out one time.

00:59So a lot less stock behind that, but it was at fairgrounds going short on the dirt.

01:04She wired the field that day.

01:06This race is much longer.

01:07So I think it's definitely a distance test, but she is by City of Light whose progeny

01:12handles distance just fine.

01:14And she's also a half sister to the same dam of Vava, who did contend in the Breeders'

01:21Cup last year and has won close to $2 million.

01:23So definitely want to keep your eye on, and we're getting eight to one odds.

01:28If she turns out to be a superstar, it might be the best odds you ever get on her.

01:32I think that if you're trying to bet against good cheer, that's the horse you're looking

01:37at because she is such a wild card in here.

01:41She showed so much talent in her debut, did the number three, Ahava.

01:46And in that debut, she was only going six for a long, so she was sprinting.

01:50Now she'll have to go a mile and a 16th, much farther, but she's really fast early.

01:56You pointed out the pedigree that she has.

01:59She has a half sister who was awesome.

02:02She was one of the best, right?

02:03Like the best filly and mare sprinters.

02:04My brain just realized her name is Ahava mixed up.

02:08Right?

02:09Exactly.

02:10So she has the bloodlines to be awesome.

02:13She has a really good trainer.

02:15Cherie DeVoe is like jumping up onto the main scene as one of the best trainers right now

02:21out there.

02:22So I think Ahava, very interesting.

02:24If you're trying to bet against good cheer, I think she's the one you're looking at.

02:28I'll give one more horse, just a little mention.

02:30The number five, Her Laugh.

02:32She won her first two starts, Alexa, and then she went and ran over at Tampa Bay Downs in

02:37the Suncoast and she had a really bad start and she just had no chance to win that race

02:42after the start, but she did run really well to finish second and she came from way out

02:47of it.

02:48So I think that's a new dimension and she showed us that if things don't go her way,

02:52she can still run well and hit the board and pick up pieces.

02:55So I do respect Her Laugh, but they're all going to have to step their game up if they

03:00want to be anything close to good cheer.

03:02Absolutely.

03:04So there's a quick look at race number 11.

03:06That's the Fairgrounds Oaks on Saturday at the Fairgrounds.

03:10Let's go to the other 11th race.

03:12This one at Turfway Park.

03:13This one is the Bourbonette Oaks.

03:16So again, when we bounce back over to Turfway, we remind you that they will be running on

03:20that synthetic surface.

03:21It's not dirt.

03:22It's not turf.

03:23It's that all-weather synthetic surface.

03:26And in this particular race, we have a big field, Alexa.

03:29I think towards the outside, one of the major, major players is White Rocks, who was very

03:36fast.

03:37She won the Cincinnati Trophy.

03:39That's the stepping stone race to this one.

03:42So usually the horses who win those local preps, you kind of have to start with them,

03:46see if they're good enough, see if the race will shape up for them.

03:49I think she's going to be one they probably all have to catch in here.

03:53I agree.

03:54But I think this race is a lot more competitive than the Fairground Oaks is, and I'm going

03:59to try.

04:00I like White Rocks a lot, don't get me wrong, but I'm going to try to beat her.

04:03I think there's some value in here.

04:05I like the three admit.

04:06This is a filly by Blaine, who's been over the Tapita three times and won two of them,

04:10and she's gotten second in the other.

04:12And that second place finish was in the Cincinnati Trophy stakes, where she was one and a quarter

04:15length behind White Rocks, and then a one and a quarter length in front of something

04:19about her.

04:20So those are both common opponents today.

04:22She was closing the gap that day and kind of ran out of time.

04:25So I think the extra 16th of a mile could really help this weekend.

04:28And then reading in one of our DRF articles, the Connections have said they want to try

04:33to be closer in this race early, because they just don't want to let the same thing happen

04:37if the 11 gets loose out front and kind of slows things down.

04:41Yeah, I mean, I love hearing that they have a plan.

04:44Exactly.

04:45And then the five, bless the broken at 10 to one, I think demonstrated her potential

04:49with a strong third place effort behind good cheer in the Rachel Alexandra stakes.

04:56So I think being a stalker type, the surface switch to Tapita could be seen as a positive.

05:01But she is cross-centered in...

05:04And she is going to run in this race, in the Bourbonette Oaks, for sure.

05:07So she will run here, and I think she's a major player as well.

05:11The number five, bless the broken.

05:12If you just look at the last three races she exits, all of the horses that beat her, they

05:17would probably be favored if they were in this same race.

05:20She's just faced really tough company.

05:22The one, Resolve, kind of a fun horse from Southern California who's been forwardly placed,

05:28who can sit close.

05:29And then the seven, as catch can, I thought was another interesting horse, because the

05:33trainer of that one, Jonathan Thomas, entered two horses in this race.

05:38But he's only going to send the seven.

05:40The number 12, Will Venn, is actually going to stay and will likely be running in Southern

05:44California, was entered in a race on Sunday this weekend.

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