Oaklawn Report #13: Terra Promessa Wins the Fantasy

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: TERRA PROMESSA – The good news…Terra Promessa locked herself into the Kentucky Oaks starting gate and picked up her second graded stakes win while holding off Taxable to win the Fantasy Stakes.  The bad news…she now has a date with a “musical bird” as track announcer Pete Aiello described it as Songbird now awaits Terra Promessa in the Kentucky Oaks.  I’ll be honest,  Terra Promessa has no shot against Songbird, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a nice filly.  Her four wins in five starts have been very impressive, and she’ll have an opportunity to give a good showing and maybe even run second in the Kentucky Oaks.  She’s progressing like a good horse does, and if she can survive the Oaks there is no doubt in my mind she’s heading towards a solid 2016 campaign.  This filly easily had the best meet of any 3 year old filly on the grounds.

– 2nd Star: SUBTLE INDIAN – All I can say is WOW this is some sprinter.  Subtle Indian has had what you can only describe as the perfect meet at Oaklawn Park.  Four races…fours wins…and he never trailed at any point during any of his four victories.  After dominating allowance company twice he moved up in class to the Hot Springs Stakes and dominated, and how now has become a grades stakes winner with his most recent wire to wire victory in the Count Fleet.  He is now 7 for 9 lifetime, and crazily enough he’s never lost a race that he’s finished.  In both of his losses he was pulled up before the wire.  His final time of 1:08.80 is the fastest 6 furlongs of the meet at Oaklawn Park.  If he can take his form with him for the rest of the year he could be unbeatable.

– 3rd Star: TAXABLE – Even though she did not win the Fantasy Stakes I still feel like her effort in the race was good enough to land her in the third start spot.  After all the Fantasy Stakes was only her third career start, and she came running late and nearly knocked off Terra Promessa who is fairly highly thought of throughout the country.  This type of effort could set her up for a solid rest of the year, and her not winning probably did her a favor in the long run as she doesn’t need to be pointing to the Kentucky Oaks just yet and facing a filly like Songbird.  There are plenty of options for trainer Steve Asmussen at the season and this filly progresses.

Flop of the Week

– KISS MOON – The highly thought of Kiss Moon made her 2016 debut on Thursday in an allowance race, and it was a disaster.  She finished sixth as the favorite with the race basically being a total non effort.  Most likely you can throw that one out, and she’ll get back to the turf soon which will help her out.

Preview to Next Week

• Thursday April 14th – $150,000 Carousel Stakes – fillies and mares 4 year olds and upward – 6 furlongs
• Friday April 15th – $600,000 Grade 1 Apple Blossom – fillies and mares 4 year olds and upward – 1 1/16th miles
• Friday April 15th – $150,000 Bachelor Stakes – 3 year olds – 6 furlongs
• Saturday April 16th – $150,000 Northern Spur Stakes – 3 year olds – 1 mile
• Saturday April 16th – $150,000 Instant Racing Stakes – 3 year old fillies – 6 furlongs
• Saturday April 16th – $750,000 Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap – 4 year olds and upward – 1 1/8th miles
• Saturday April 16th – $1,000,000 Grade 1 Arkansas Derby – 3 year olds – 1 1/8th miles