Lazy Daisy Aiming for Return in Fantasy

ARCADIA, CA – Trainer Doug O’Neill confirmed that his 3-year-old filly Lazy Daisy is aiming to return to the races in the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3), scheduled on May 1 at Oaklawn Park.

Lazy Daisy won on debut at Del Mar last August and finished fourth in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) later that same month. O’Neill shipped the daughter of Paynter to Churchill Downs, where she won the Pocahontas Stakes (G2), her first two-turn start, just two weeks after the Del Mar Debutante.

Lazy Daisy then ran sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita Park in what would be her final start of 2019. O’Neill later made the decision to give her time to grow and develop with a hopeful eye on running in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), scheduled for September 4.

Lazy Daisy’s first trip back on the worktab came March 6 when she covered 3 furlongs in :37.40, a distance O’Neill repeated on March 16 before trying her over 4 furlongs in her next two works. A 5-furlong work in 1:01.60 on April 3 convinced O’Neill that he needed to find Lazy Daisy a race.

His only problem? Santa Anita Park has temporarily ceased racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After she came out of that in good shape, and with the temporary suspension of racing in California, I made the executive decision to put her on a van to Oaklawn,” O’Neill said. “She’s there at our barn with our crew and she’s doing well.”

The Fantasy is a 1 1/16-mile event over the Oaklawn Park dirt offering a total of 170 Kentucky Oaks points to the top four finishers (100-40-20-10). Lazy Daisy currently has 10 Kentucky Oaks points, courtesy of her Pocahontas victory last September.

“It’s oftentimes a race that can spring forward into a Kentucky Oaks type of race,” O’Neill said of the Fantasy. “We’re now looking at the first Friday in September. That’s down the road, but our filly is doing well.”

The concern with any horse given a lengthy stretch of time away from the track is how it will perform in its first start back, but O’Neill said that he is pleased with how Lazy Daisy has looked so far.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way she’s doing,” O’Neill said. “The time off has just done her a world of good.”

Tom Mansor purchased Lazy Daisy for just $39,000 at the April 2019 Ocala Breeders’ Sale. She has earned $194,880 with a record of 4-2-0-0 for Mansor, who co-owns her in partnership with ERJ Racing, Great Friends Stable, CTR Racing, MyRacehorse.com, and Jerry Caroom.