The Bourbonette Oaks and Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks were the latest Kentucky Oaks 2025 prep races, and Bless the Broken won the former and Good Cheer got the job done as expected in the latter. In this report, I will recap those events, update the Oaks points standings, and share my latest top five Oaks contenders.
The Fantasy Stakes and Gulfstream Park Oaks are the next two Kentucky Oaks points races on Saturday, March 29.
Fantasy field: 1 – Take Charge Milady (6-1), 2 – California Sunset (12-1), 3 – Kinzie Queen (10-1), 4 – Princess Em Too (15-1), 5 – Quietside (2-1), 6 – Necessity (10-1), 7 – Simply Joking (8-5), 8 – Baytown Butterfly (30-1). 9 – Princeess Aliyah (12-1), 10 – Runnin N Gunnin (20-1).
GP Oaks field: 1 – Paradise City, 2 – Early On, 3 – The Queens M G, 4 – Five G, 5 – Whatintheliteral, 6 – Cassiar, 7 – Anna’s Promise
I am covering all of the road to Kentucky Oaks prep races on my Runaway Horse YouTube Channel, and through the first 27 points races, my top choices have 11 wins, 4 runner-up finishes, and 4 show finishes. Two of my top choices scratched, so I am officially 11-for-25 on the road to the Oaks.
Kentucky Oaks 2025 Points Race Recaps
Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park (3-22-25): White Rocks ran them off their feet in the Cincinnati Trophy on Feb. 21. She was the favorite and made the lead again in this race, but this time they throttled her speed and she was up a length through slower splits. Her main weapon was taken away and she was outkicked in the stretch. Bracelet got in from the AE list, and she chased outside from second, and my top choice Admit stalked inside but did not have clear sailing in the stretch at a critical time. Bless the Broken sat a wide trip from midpack, and she made a nice run around the turn and into the stretch, and she kicked away to score by 2 3/4 lengths. As Catch Can was pinched back to last of 11 at the start under Frankie Dettori, and she made a nice run from off the pace to edge Admit by a neck for the place. The latter ran a quality race and may have landed the place with a cleaner trip in the lane. Bracelet weakened to fourth and White Rocks was a neck behind that one. Zealous Moon, Golden Sunrise, Somethinabouther, Getting After It, Resolve, and Just Ruthless also ran. John Velazquez rode the winner for William Walden. This was her first all-weather start but she was stabled at Turfway and had ten works over the synthetic surface. Fractions: 24.24, 49.02, 1:13.69, 1:38.33, 1:44.65.
Grade 2 FG Oaks at Fair Grounds (3-22-25): Ahavah won her sprint bow and stepped into the big leagues in this graded route second time out. She made a short lead for the productive Ortiz/DeVaux team and Her Laugh pressed from second. Good Cheer was the overwhelming favorite and she stalked wide, moved up, hit the front, and pulled away to win by an easy 3 1/2 lengths. Ahavah fought on in the stretch and was second best, and Gowells Delight stalked inside and was best of the rest in third. Quickick rallied mildly to finish fourth and Her Laugh weakened to fifth. Jenkin, Secret Faith, and Girl Math also ran. Luis Saez rode the winner for Brad Cox and she is the early Kentucky Oaks favorite. Fractions: 23.91, 47.81, 1;12.16, 1:36.91, 1:43.44.
Kentucky Oaks 2025 Points Race Results
Pocahontas (10-5-3-2-1) – Sep. 16 – Winner: La Cara ($12.72)
Alcibiades (10-5-3-2-1) – Oct. 6 – Winner: Immersive ($5.34)
Frizette (10-5-3-2-1) – Oct. 7 – Winner: Scottish Lassie ($15.00)
Oak Leaf (10-5-3-2-1) – Oct. 7 – Winner: Non Compliant ($4.00)
Rags to Riches (10-5-3-2-1) – Oct. 29 – Winner: Good Cheer ($3.48)
BC Juvenile Fillies (30-15-9-6-3) – Nov. 3 – Winner: Immersive ($6.00)
Golden Rod (10-5-3-2-1) – Nov. 30 – Winner: Good Cheer ($3.32)
Demoiselle (10-5-3-2-1) – Dec. 7 – Winner: Muhimma ($2.80)
Starlet (10-5-3-2-1) – Dec. 7 – Winner: Tenma ($7.00)
Untapable (10-5-3-2-1) – Dec. 21 – Winner: Her Laugh ($11.00)
Sant Ynez (10-5-3-2-1) – Jan. 5 – Winner: Look Forward ($5.40)
Busanda (20-10-6-4-2) – Jan. 18 – Winner: Running Away ($5.10)
Silverbulletday (20-10-6-4-2) – Jan. 18 – Winner: Simply Joking ($5.40)
Martha Washington (20-10-6-4-2) – Jan. 25 – Winner: Take Charge Milady ($7.20)
Forward Gal (20-10-6-4-2) – Feb. 1 – Winner: Eclatant ($10.00)
Las Virgenes (20-10-6-4-2) – Feb. 2 – Winner: Tenma ($2.40)
Suncoast (20-10-6-4-2) – Feb. 8 – Winner: La Cara ($9.20)
Rachel Alexandra (50-25-15-10-5) – Feb. 15 – Winner: Good Cheer ($2.10)
Sunland Park Oaks (20-10-6-4-2) – Feb. 16 – Winner: Runnin N Gunnin ($13.80)
Cincinnati Trophy (20-10-6-4-2) – Feb. 21 – Winner: White Rocks ($13.30)
UAE Oaks (50-25-15-10-5) – Feb. 21 – Winner: Queen Azteca
Honeybee (50-25-15-10-5) – Feb. 23 – Winner: Quietside ($22.40)
Busher (50-25-15-10-5) – March 1 – Winner: Drexel Hill ($12.00)
Davona Dale (50-25-15-10-5) – March 1 – Winner: The Queens M G ($5.80)
Santa Ysabel (50-25-15-10-5) – March 2 – Winner: Maysam ($5.00)
Virginia Oaks (50-25-15-10-5) – March 15 – Winner: Fondly ($4.40)
Bourbonette Oaks (50-25-15-10-5) – March 22 – Winner: Bless the Broken ($15.18)
FG Oaks (100-50-25-15-10) – March 22 – Winner: Good Cheer ($2.80)
Upcoming Oaks Points Races:
Fantasy (100-50-25-15-10) – March 29
GP Oaks (100-50-25-15-10) – March 29
Ashland (100-50-25-15-10) – April 4
Gazelle (100-50-25-15-10) – April 5
SA Oaks (100-50-25-15-10) – April 5
Top 27 Kentucky Oaks 2025 Points Leaders (thru 3-26-25)
Good Cheer (170 points)
Quietside (68 points)
Bless the Broken (67.5 points)
Drexel Hill (57 points)
La Cara (51 points)
Fondly, Ahavah (50 points)
The Queens M G (43.5 points)
Gowells Delight (41.5 points)
Quickick (34 points)
Tenma (33 points)
Her Laugh (30 points)
Five G, Muhimma, Amarth, As Catch Can, White Rocks, Maysam, Early On, Admit (25 points)
Eclatant (23 points)
Take Charge Milady, Simply Joking, Runnin N Gunnin, Running Away (20 points)
Vodka With a Twist (18 points)
Ballerina d’Oro (16.25 points)
Jarrod Horak’s Fabulous Five Kentucky Oaks 2025 Contenders (3-26-25)
#1 – Muhimma (Munnings – Princess Carolina, by Tapit) – Trainer: Brad Cox – Last Ranking (1)
Comments: We will find out if she is in the same league as her stablemate Good Cheer when she competes in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland on April 4. She lost for the first time in the Honeybee (G3) on Feb. 23, and she was a flat third as the beaten favorite that day. She has worked three times since her last start and picked up the tempo in a 5f move in 59.00 (2/34) at Fair Grounds on March 22.
#2 – Good Cheer (Medaglia d’Oro – Wedding Toast, by Street Sense) – Trainer: Brad Cox – Last Ranking (2)
Comments: She ran her record to 6-for-6 with another easy tally in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks on March 22. She stalked the pace and cruised home in all of her career starts, and she should not have any problem with a mile and an eighth. This one is getting faster and is the deserving Kentucky Oaks favorite at this stage, and she is 3-for-3 at Churchill Downs.
#3 – Ballerina d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro – In the Moonlight, by Tapit) – Trainer: Chad Brown – Last Ranking (3)
Comments: I believe that this one will thrive over longer distances as the year progresses. She was just using the Davona Dale (G2) as a prep, and she rallied to just miss the place in that one mile event around one turn on March 1. She breezed a half-mile two weeks later, and went a half-mile in 49.20 (6/61) on March 22. Chad Brown has penciled in the Gazelle (G3) at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on April 5. That is the right race for her and I am expecting a quality effort from off the pace.
#4 – Tenma (Nyquist – Amagansett, by Tapit) – Trainer: Bob Baffert – Last Ranking (4)
Comments: I do not know how much real competition this 3-time graded winner has at Santa Anita Park. She has worked six times since last seen romping in the Las Virgenes (G3) on March 2. Her most recent work was a 5f move in 1:00.80 (14/56) on March 24. The SA Oaks (G2) on April 5 is next.
# 5 Quietside (Malibu Moon – Benner Island, by Speightstown) Trainer: John Ortiz – Last Ranking (5)
Comments: She seems to be elevating her game at the right time. After winning her career debut, she settled for minor awards in four straight stakes starts, and she got over the hump in a nice forwardly placed victory in the Honeybee (G3) on Feb. 23. She has breezed three times since her last start. She fired a 5f bullet on March 16 and went a half-mile in 49.00 (17/70) at Oaklawn on March 23. The Grade 2 Fantasy on March 29 is her next assignment.
Next Nine: (6) La Cara, (7) Five G, (8) The Queens M G, (9) Drexel Hill, (10) Bless the Broken, (11) Fondly, (12) Running Away, (13) Simply Joking, (14) Ahavah
