She was eighth down the backstretch and began making up ground approaching the far turn from the four-to-five path. The Briland Farm homebred daughter of Arrogate provided the legendary horseman with his fifth Kentucky Oaks victory, and first since 1990. While Nest seeks to keep her upward trajectory afloat, Secret Oath will look to turn the tables for Hall of Fame trainer D. Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a four-time Alabama winner, will ride Goddess of Fire from post 2. She needs to take a step forward, but she’s held good company all year.” Both of her races over the track have been good. “She’s a filly that always shows up and runs well. “I’m hoping it just gets her attention a little bit and puts her into the flow a little more,” Pletcher said. Goddess of Fire will race with blinkers on for the first time. She has kept classy company throughout her sophomore campaign, earning graded stakes placings when second in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra on February 19 at Fair Grounds Race Course as well as the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on April 2. The daughter of Mineshaft, and half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner Mind Control, is still in search of her first score since a victorious debut last August at the Spa. Pletcher will also saddle Red Oak Stable’s homebred Goddess of Fire, who enters off a runner-up finish in the Wilton on Opening Day at the Spa going one mile from the Wilson Chute. Irad Ortiz, Jr., the pilot aboard all five of Nest’s lifetime wins, will retain the mount from post 4. She’s a very classy filly to be around and a pleasure to train,” Pletcher said. “She’s been good at two and three and appreciated the distance. But, in her case, she’s done so well since the race there’s no reason not to.”Ī five-length winner on debut during her 2-year-old season, Nest was a late-closing third in the Tempted on November 5 at Belmont Park before capturing her two-turn and graded stakes debut in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 4 at Aqueduct. “Whenever you’re running four weeks off a huge effort like that, you’re always concerned about if you’re running back too soon. “It can be ,” said Pletcher, who also saddled last year’s Alabama winner Malathaat en route to Eclipse Award honors. “It changed the complexion of the race for sure, but to her credit she was able to adapt herself into position and she ran super from there,” Pletcher said.Īn Alabama victory would make Nest the 20th filly to sweep the CCA Oaks-Alabama double, something Pletcher previously did with Princess of Sylmar and Stopchargingmaria. The dynamics of the CCA Oaks were altered when the two fillies who broke to the inside of Nest – Butterbean and Society – stumbled at the start.
She came back and ran even better in the CCA Oaks so hopefully she can continue trending upward.” “She ran a great race and came out of that really well, put on weight and condition. “She ran super in the CCA Oaks and it seems like since she ran in the Kentucky Oaks, she improved physically,” Pletcher said. The astonishing score came following a run against the boys in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 11, finishing a game second to stablemate Mo Donegal. Nest, owned by Repole Stables, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest for a 3-year-old filly this year, for her 12 1/4-length romp in the CCA Oaks for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. After Secret Oath bested Nest in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs, the latter turned the tables on her foe in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 23 at Saratoga. The Alabama honors prominent 19th century horse owner William Cottrell, who requested that the race be named after his home state of Alabama.īoth Nest and Secret Oath boast one victory over the other. The prestigious 10-furlong event for sophomore fillies has been won by more than a dozen Hall of Fame fillies, including Miss Woodford, Beldame, Top Flight, Tempted, Gamely, Shuvee, Mom’s Command, Go for Wand ,Open Mind, Sky Beauty, Heavenly Prize, Silverbulletday, and Royal Delta.
Sophomore filly division leaders Nest and Secret Oath will go head-to-head for the third time this year, and second time this meet, in Saturday’s 142nd running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama at Saratoga Race Course.
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