8 3yo fillies are set to line up in the 75k California Oaks. It will be contested at 1 1/16m on the main track.
I am not going to give selections, but I will give you guys some insight into each runner in the field. Also, I attached a replay for most of the horses. Hopefully it will help you with your handicapping. Enjoy!
#1 Karsavina (William Delia/ Catalino Martinez) Sat closer to the pace than she normally does in her last start. Got beat soundly by Creative Romance and Oh My Oh that day (click here). Think her best chance is to sit back and make one run. Needs to improve a lot on paper. Think she is better on turf than the tapeta.
#2 Sold It (Doug O’Neill/ Rafael Bejarano) Will probably go off favored. Has strong back class, which includes a 5th by 4 lengths in the G1 Starlet behind Chasing Yesterday (click here). Has speed to her which should help in this spot. Should handle the tapeta– her sire The Factor was a G1 winner on the synthetics, and her dam was a winner on turf. Distance could be a question here, as she has seemed to lack late punch in her 2-turn races. Fastest figures on paper and will sit a nice forward trip.
#3 Soothing (Bob Hess Sr/ Juan Hernandez) Is still a maiden and her form is pretty muddied up. Actually finished ahead of Sold It in a maiden sprint at Santa Anita last October. Ran a good 2nd behind Slewgoodtobetrue after having a very wide trip, and ran a distant 3rd in a race in the slop. Shipped up North after that and finished 2nd in a MSW behind a quality prospect in Kynance (click here). Will likely stalk the pace. Think she is better than her figures indicate, and is definitely one to include at least underneath.
#4 Creative Romance (Ed Moger/ Alejandro Gomez) 2 starts back she ran against Karsavina and Oh My Oh in a 2-turn Allowance. Sat a perfect trip that day and managed to run a non-threatening 2nd (click here). Came out of that to run 3rd behind a quality sprinter in Mucho Amor. Daughter of Creative Cause has improved her figures in each race. Is improving but looks outmatched.
#5 Respect My Candor (Bill McLean/ Flavien Prat) Coming off 2 consecutive wins but is taking a big step up in class here. Her only route effort was very poor, but it was over the turf. Her pedigree suggests she should be able to handle the distance. Figures have improved. Will be sitting off the pace. Getting the services of Flavien Prat does not hurt. Could maybe see using her in the bottom of the superfecta. Behind a bit on numbers.
#6 Oh My Oh (Quinn Howey/ Julien Couton) Last 2 efforts were solid. Was caught closing into a super slow pace in her last start, and finished 3rd behind horses that got the jump on her (click here). Her route efforts have been solid and she likes the tapeta. The daughter of Comic Strip is definitely one to include underneath, and is a contender if she can get a strong pace in front of her.
#7 California Canter (Holly Evans/ Francisco Monroy) Coming out of a 4th place effort behind Mucho Amor. This will be her first time trying 2-turns. Could be a pace presence in here. Pedigree suggests she can get the distance, but Evans is only 3% routing. Could turn into a decent cal-bred, but this class hike seems like it’s too much to overcome.
#8 Apache Princess (Jerry Hollendorfer/ William Antongeorgi) Entered on Sunday so might scratch here FYI. Could go off favored, and will definitely be one of the top 2 choices. Has solid Southern California form, including the off-the-turf G3 Sweet Life Stakes win (click here). Also has a few strong wins on the grass going down the hill at Santa Anita. She surprisingly has never won going over a route of ground (ran a super narrow 2nd in a MSW routing on the turf). Daughter of Unusual Heat should be able to handle the tapeta. Will be running on late and her speed figures fit really well here.
NorCal Horse Racing News 