For those who may have missed it, this past weekend marked the end of Phase One of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, the new points system for determining the fourteen fillies that will qualify for this year's Kntucky Oaks. Phase One, a.k.a. The Kentucky Oaks Prep Season, consisted of twenty races, beginning with the Shadwell Fillies Mile, run at Newmarket back on September 28. Points during Phase One were awarded in each of the twenty races on a 10-4-2-1 scale; that is, the Winner of each race received ten points, the Place horse received four points, etc. Full standings can be viewed here.
Kauai Katie, trained by Todd Pletcher, is the current leader with twenty-one points. She was the only filly to have won two Phase One races, having crossed the wire first in both the Old Hat Stakes and the Forward Gal Stakes (the additional point came from Kauai Katie's fourth place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies). Both of Kauai Katie's wins during Phase One were at Gulfstream Park; more relevantly, all five of her career wins (including her two Road to the Kentucky Oaks victories) were contested at distances of less than eight furlongs.
Phase Two, a.k.a. the first half of The Kentucky Oaks Championship Series, kicks off February 23 with the Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park and the Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course. Phase Two will consist of eight races where points will be awarded on a 50-20-10-5 scale; so the two winners on the 23rd, even if they earned zero points during Phase One, will immediately vault to the top of the standings. Phase Three, a.k.a. the second half of The Kentucky Oaks Championship Series, will begin March 30 (also with a pair of races, one at Gulfstream and the other at Fair Grounds) and will consist of six races where points will be awarded on a 100-40-20-10 scale. Finally, the whole thing will conclude with one wildcard race, the Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland, which will award points on a 20-8-4-2 scale.
Peace and Love,
Jimbo
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