Kentucky Oaks Roundup: Jan. 27, 2020

Stay up to speed on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with a weekly roundup of all the latest news and developments:

Changes on the Leaderboard

Last week was a quiet one without any official Road to the Kentucky Oaks prep races on the agenda. As a result, the leaderboard remains unchanged with Grade 1 winners Bast (34 points) and newly-crowned 2-year-old filly champion British Idiom (30 points) leading the way.

Still, a few fillies made positive impressions in unofficial Kentucky Oaks prep races, Godolphin’s Dubai Love trounced her rivals by 3 1/4 lengths in Thursday’s UAE 1000 Guineas at Meydan in Dubai, emerging as a serious threat for the UAE Oaks (G3) and even the UAE Derby (G2) against colts.

Stateside, Cruise and Danze was a comfortable 2 1/4-length winner of the 7-furlong Ruthless S. on Sunday at Aqueduct, which should springboard the Jerry O’Dwyer-trained daughter of Danza into a Road to the Kentucky Oaks prep race.

On the Work Tab

British Idiom: The champion juvenile filly of 2019 breezed 5 furlongs in 1:00.80 at Fair Grounds on Sunday, prepping for a return in the Feb. 15 Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds.

Comical: Chandelier (G1) runner-up clocked 5 furlongs in 1:01.40 on Monday at Fair Grounds.

Finite: Third on the leaderboard with 20 points, the Golden Rod (G2) winner cruised an easy half-mile in :51 on Sunday at Fair Grounds.

Perfect Alibi: Winner of the Spinaway (G1) and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Perfect Alibi posted her third work of the year on Thursday, breezing an easy half-mile in :51.15 at the Casse Training Center.

Taraz: Potential superstar with Kentucky Derby aspirations clocked 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 on Sunday at Fair Grounds. Unbeaten and unchallenged in two starts sprinting, she’ll stretch out to a mile in the Feb. 1 Martha Washington S. at Oaklawn Park.

Wicked Whisper: Runaway Frizette (G1) winner turned in her first workout of the year last Monday, breezing an easy half-mile in :52.40 at Fair Grounds.

Looking Ahead

The Road to the Kentucky Oaks resumes on Feb. 1 with a pair of modest prep races down south. The 7-furlong Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream Park offers sprinters a chance to gain stakes experience before stretching out in distance, while the one-mile Martha Washington S. at Oaklawn will mark the two-turn takes debut of Brad Cox’s exciting filly Taraz.