Kentucky Oaks Roundup: March 23, 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

The Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard experienced a bit of a shakeup last Saturday when four-time stakes winner Finite (80 points) finished a surprising fourth as the 3-10 favorite in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) at Fair Grounds. She entered the weekend atop the qualification leaderboard but has now slipped to second place behind stretch-running Fair Grounds Oaks winner Bonny South, who picked up 100 points in her successful stakes debut.

Tempers Rising (47 points), who finished second in the Fair Grounds Oaks, has advanced to eighth on the leaderboard. She sits one slot ahead of Antoinette, who picked up 20 points while finishing third at Fair Grounds.

It remains unclear how many qualification points will be necessary to secure a spot in the Kentucky Oaks starting gate. The race has been postponed from May 1 to Sept. 4 due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and additional Road to the Kentucky Oaks prep races will be added to the schedule in the near future.

On the Work Tab

Alta’s Award: The Honeybee (G3) runner-up returned to the work tab with 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 on Sunday at Gulfstream.

Donna Veloce: Worked an easy half-mile on Thursday at Santa Anita, clocking the distance in :51.00.

Harvey’s Lil Goil: Turned in a 5-furlong breeze on Tuesday at Payson Park, breezing 5 furlongs in 1:02.20.

Frank’s Rockette: Aiming for a start in the Purple Martin S. at Oaklawn Park, Frank’s Rockette breezed 4 furlongs in :49.20 on Friday at Payson Park.

Kansas Kris: The Busher Invitational runner-up cruised a half-mile in :49.56 over the Belmont Park training track on Saturday.

Lake Avenue: The Demoiselle (G2) winner worked a half-mile in :49.80 on Friday at Payson Park.

Lazy Daisy: Last year’s Pocahontas (G2) winner turned in her third workout of the year on Saturday at Santa Anita, recording 4 furlongs in :49.40. Lazy Daisy wasn’t going to be ready for a peak effort on May 1, so the postponement of the Kentucky Oaks is good news for her connections.

Lucrezia: The Suncoast S. winner blazed a bullet 5 furlongs in :59.80 on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs.

Maedean: Cruised an easy half-mile in :51.90 on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Perfect Alibi: The Spinaway (G1) winner returned to the work tab on Wednesday with a half-mile breeze in :50.89 over the training track at Belmont Park. The postponement of the Kentucky Oaks puts Perfect Alibi back into contention for qualifying.

Shedaresthedevil: The gutsy Honeybee winner sped 4 furlongs in a quick :47.80 on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

Spice Is Nice: The Davona Dale (G2) runner-up clocked a half-mile in :49.59 on a busy Saturday at Palm Beach Downs.

Swiss Skydiver: Turned in a straightforward 5-furlong workout on Saturday at Gulfstream, getting the distance in 1:01.15.

Tonalist’s Shape: On Sunday at Gulfstream, the undefeated Davona Dale winner clocked 5 furlongs in a quick 1:00.56.

Venetian Harbor: Blazed 5 furlongs in :58.60 on Sunday at Santa Anita, the fastest of 98 morning workouts over that distance.

Zellda: An unraced daughter of 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta, Zellda worked 4 furlongs in :51.00 on Thursday at Santa Anita. The postponement of the Kentucky Oaks raises the possibility that Zellda could qualify for the race this summer.

Looking Ahead

Three upcoming Road to the Kentucky Oaks prep races—the Apr. 4 Gazelle (G2), the Apr. 4 Ashland (G1), and the Apr. 10 Beaumont (G3)—have been cancelled or postponed due to the effects of COVID-19. This means Saturday’s Gulfstream Parks Oaks (G2) at Gulfstream Park will take on added significance, with its 170 Kentucky Oaks qualification points attractive to horsemen lacking other options for their star fillies.

The field is still taking shape, but established Road to the Kentucky Oaks prep race winners Tonalist’s Shape, Lake Avenue, and Lucrezia are among the expected starters, along with the highly regarded Davona Dale runner-up Spice Is Nice.