Kentucky Oaks Roundup: Mar. 1, 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

Forward Gal (G3) winner Tonalist’s Shape made a big move up the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with her comfortable victory in the Davona Dale (G2) on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. By employing front-running tactics to score a 1 1/4-length victory over 7-10 favorite Spice Is Nice, Tonalist’s Shape earned 50 points, boosting her total to 60 while moving up to second place in the qualification rankings.

Spice Is Nice gained 20 points for her determined runner-up effort, debuting in fourth place on the leaderboard. Distant third-place finisher Dream Marie secured 10 points, sufficient to claim 14th place.

On the Work Tab

British Idiom: On Saturday at Fair Grounds, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2019 breezed a half-mile in :49.

Donna Veloce: Aiming for a return to action in the Santa Ysabel (G3), Donna Veloce clocked 5 furlongs in a quick 1:00.40 on Wednesday at Santa Anita, then came back to breeze the same distance in 1:00.60 on Monday.

Finite: Sitting atop the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 70 points, Finite cruised 5 furlongs in 1:01.60 on Monday at Fair Grounds.

Lake Avenue: Wrapped up her preparations for the Busher S. by cruising a half-mile in :49.60 on Monday at Payson Park.

Lucrezia: The impressive Suncoast S. winner cruised 3 furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday, getting the distance in an easy :36.80.

Maedean: Demoiselle (G2) runner-up clocked 5 furlongs in 1:01.62 on Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Swiss Skydiver: Third behind division leaders Finite and British Idiom in the Rachel Alexandra (G3), Swiss Skydiver returned to the work tab on Saturday with 4 furlongs in :49.80 at the Summerfield Training Center.

Venetian Harbor: Runaway Las Virgenes (G2) winner worked 5 furlongs in a swift 1:00.80 on Friday at Santa Anita.

Wicked Whisper: The Frizette (G1) winner edged closer to her sophomore debut when breezing 5 furlongs in 1:00.80 on Monday at Fair Grounds.

Looking Ahead

Expect to see some major changes to the leaderboard this weekend. A trio of prep races are on the agenda, all offering 85 qualification points to the top four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 basis.

Saturday will bring the 1-mile Busher S. at Aqueduct and the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn Park, while Sunday’s action is highlighted by the 1 1/16-mile Santa Ysabel at Santa Anita. Several prominent runners are expected to run this weekend, including Demoiselle (G2) 1-2 finishers Lake Avenue and Maedean—both aiming for the Busher—and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) runner-up Donna Veloce, who is targeting the Santa Ysabel.