Photograph: Ben Breland/Eclipse Sportswire
depend the celebs Her two-time Corridor of Fame coach, Mark Kass, stated Saturday morning that she is coming off a dominant victory in Friday’s Grade 2, $1 million Fantasy Stakes.
Counting Stars has obtained a preliminary Beyer Velocity determine of 92 from the next establishments: every day racing typeset a profession excessive by successful Oaklawn’s third and remaining Kentucky Oaks qualifying race, the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy, over stablemate Search Occasion by 5 1/2 lengths. The win was the most important margin in fantasy since Joyful Victory received by seven lengths in 2011.
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Counting Stars earned 75 qualifying factors for the Kentucky Oaks, pushing his complete to 100 factors and ending third within the official rankings revealed by Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks is the most important race for 3-year-old fillies within the nation and is restricted to 14 runners. The race is Could 1st.
“She introduced her ‘A’ sport,” Cass stated. “She’s a counting star that I’ve watched for a very long time and thought we had been too. She ended up getting an excellent Beyer, and I feel that places her in a reasonably great spot on the prime of the checklist proper now.”
Two-time Oak Garden stakes winner Counting Stars completed second to Explorer by three-quarters of a size within the 1 1/16-mile $750,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) held on March 1, however Honeybee was Oak Garden’s second Kentucky Oaks qualifying race.
Explorer was the favourite in Fantasy’s even-money program, however she was scratched with a fever and was one in all simply 5 runners. The Explorers are ranked fourth on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 95 factors.
Search Occasion additional strengthened his Kentucky Oaks credentials with a fantasy runner-up end. On February 6, Search Occasion received Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Oaks qualifying race, the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes, and completed fourth within the Honeybee. Search Occasion, who obtained caught in site visitors at Fantasy’s second flip, completed 9 1/2 lengths forward of third-place finisher Taken by the Wind.
“I feel that is her sport,” Cass stated of the Kentucky Oaks. “She’s going to run one other sixteenth of a mile. It’ll be loads of tempo. She did not have a lot tempo yesterday.”
Kass stated it is unclear when Counting Stars and Search Occasion will go away Oak Garden for the Kentucky Oaks, however each horses “will go straight to Churchill Downs.”
“We nonetheless have 5 weeks left?” Casse stated. “So, there is not any have to rush. They’re pleased right here. I would go away them right here for a short time.”
Kass has a 3rd Kentucky Oaks contender in unbeaten Oak Garden-based French Friction, who will make his two-turn debut within the $750,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland on April 3. Kass stated she will likely be shipped to Kentucky on Monday.
“She virtually needed to win to get sufficient factors,” Kass stated. “We solely have 14 horses. It is clear that Counting Stars is doing effectively in the mean time. I am fairly assured that Search Occasion will likely be OK too. They nonetheless have just a few (qualifying races) left.”
French Friction final raced and received the six-furlong $150,000 Dixie Belle Stakes on February 14th.
