La Cara wins Ashland Stakes, headed to Kentucky Oaks
Keeneland opening weekend marks return of thoroughbred racing to Lexington
Normally ran on the first Friday in April, severe weather in Kentucky over the weekend pushed the full Ashland card to Monday and the full Blue Grass card to Tuesday. Sunday's card remained as scheduled and acted as Keeneland's opening day.
https://twitter.com/MichaelEppsTV/status/1909348700239073784
La Cara is trained by hall of fame trainer Mark Casse, with jockey Dylan Davis leading the filly on an impressive journey. Two powerful gallops out of the gate gave her a great break, which she rode the rest of the 1 and 1/16th mile race.
The pedigree of La Cara is also impressive, being that she is the daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. She is a homebred through owner Tracy Farmer at Shadowlawn Farm right here in central Kentucky.
Keeneland opens after two-day weather delay
Kenny McPeek-trained filly Take Charge Milady finished second and Brad Cox's Muhimma was third, with Supa Speed closing out the superfecta.
The Kentucky Oaks (G1) is on May 2nd at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Weekend Lineup: King's Plate Day, Featuring The E.P. Taylor Stakes
Weekend Lineup: King's Plate Day, Featuring The E.P. Taylor Stakes originally appeared on Paulick Report. The Canadian Triple Crown kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 16, when 13 Canadian-breds go 10 furlongs on the synthetic Tapeta track in the King's Plate at Woodbine. The morning-line favorite is Mark Casse-trained Woodbine Oaks winner No Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes makes a special appearance on the King's Plate day undercard, having been moved up from its September date due to planned upgrades to the E.P. Taylor turf course at the Toronto-area track. For the first time, the E.P. Taylor is a 'Win and You're In' for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Other races on the King's Plate undercard are the G2 King Edward Stakes for turf milers, G3 Bold Venture Stakes for sprinters on the synthetic, the Catch A Glimpse Stakes for juvenile fillies on the grass, and its brother-race, the Soaring Free Stakes for juvenile colts on the G1 action in the United States as well, with the 10-furlong G1 Alabama Stakes for the nation's top dirt sophomore fillies at Saratoga, and the G1 Del Mar Oaks for turf 3-year-old fillies at the seaside oval. 4:14 pm - G1 E.P. Taylor S at WoodbineLael Stables' She Feels Pretty returns to the site of her first G1 win for the 1 ¼-mile E.P. Taylor. The distance should benefit the American invader, who was second last out in the 1 ⅛-mile G1 Diana. She Feels Pretty won the G1 New York at 1 3/16-miles on the Belmont Stakes year's King's Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness attempts to be the first horse ever to win both the Plate and the E.P. Taylor. She finished third to She Feels Pretty in the 1 ⅛-mile QEII at Keeneland last fall. Charlie Appleby ships 4-for-6 filly Diamond Rain, a G3 winner at Newcastle in her most recent outing.E.P. Taylor Entries 5:34 pm - King's Plate at WoodbineGary Barber's No Time will try to become the seventh filly to win the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown since 2007. The second choice on the morning line is the Mark Dodson homebred Notorious Gangster, who was second in the Plate Trial last out to fourth-choice Sedburys Plate entries 5:44 pm - G1 Alabama S at SaratogaG1-winning fillies Good Cheer and La Cara will meet for the third time in the G1 Alabama. Right now, the score is even between the two, with Brad Cox-trained Good Cheer beating Mark Casse-trained La Cara in the Kentucky Oaks, and La Cara running away from her in the G1 the Alabama isn't a two-horse party. Casse-trained Nitrogen, 17-length winner of the off-turf G3 Wonder Again, and Cox-trained Black Eyed Susan winner Margie's Intention make it two for both trainers. There is also the Norwegian invader, Queen Azteca, winner of the G3 UAE Oaks in March, and Kinzie Queen completes the entries This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
‘He's Got The Potential': Owen Almighty Gears Up For Fall Campaign
'He's Got The Potential': Owen Almighty Gears Up For Fall Campaign originally appeared on Paulick Report. Unraced since finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby winner Owen Almighty is gearing up for an autumn campaign, reports Rankin, president of Flying Dutchmen, said on the BloodHorse Monday podcast that the colt could make his return to the races in the Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes on the Charles Town Classic undercard on Aug. 22, or the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 23. Both races are seven furlongs with a $500,000 purse, although the Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes is around two turns."Either place, I know he'll give us everything he's got. He always does," Rankin said on the BloodHorse Monday podcast. "We just want to get him started back on the right foot and get him geared up for a fall campaign. I still believe he's got the potential to be a very good 4-year-old."A son of Speightstown, the Brian Lynch trainee has three wins and two seconds in eight starts. Big Truzz, another top 3-year-old on the Flying Dutchmen roster, could make his next start in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 20 after a seven-length romp in the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 10, Rankin said on the more at This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Yahoo
Sandman Breezes On Turf At Saratoga, Aimed For Nashville Derby
Sandman Breezes On Turf At Saratoga, Aimed For Nashville Derby originally appeared on Paulick Report. D.J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables' Grade 1 winner Sandman breezed over Saratoga Race Course's Oklahoma training turf on Sunday in his first foray over the grass, covering a half-mile solo in :49.70. Piloted through the work by Jose Ortiz, who rode the colt to his victory in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in March at Oaklawn Park, Sandman skipped along the turf without being asked and came through the lane strongly before an extended gallop-out. Trainer Mark Casse said he was more than pleased with the effort, which was Sandman's first breeze since finishing a disappointing last-of-5 in the Jim Dandy (G2) on July 26 won by dual classic winner Sovereignty. 'I was very happy with him, and more importantly, he was very happy. He was like a kid in a candy store,' Casse said, with a smile. 'Jose and I had talked about it before. He said especially in the Jim Dandy, when you ask him to go, he kind of scrambles. He doesn't have the turn-of-foot, and that's why he relies on others to do his dirty work. If they don't do it, he's not going to run good. That's why he didn't run well in the Jim Dandy – the pace was too slow, and he couldn't catch them. Plus, really good horses. 'Turf horses, when you ask them to go, they can accelerate, and I had told Jose – I hadn't planned on Jose breezing him today, but I said, 'I just want you to let him drop his head and see if he wants to do something just the last eighth of a mile,'' Casse continued. 'He said to me, 'I never even had to ask him. I just sat there.' Then it was more about trying to pull him up. We weren't looking for speed.' Ortiz agreed that Sandman was enjoying himself on the grass. 'He worked good and Mark was looking for an easy half, so that's what we tried to do,' Ortiz said. 'He feels good.' With a successful first breeze over the turf now on his resume, Sandman, who finished third in the Preakness (G1) after a closing seventh in the Kentucky Derby (G1), is likely headed to Kentucky Downs for the $3.5-million Nashville Derby (G3) on August 30 traveling 1 5/16 miles. 'I think we can make it official – we're going to go to the Nashville Derby,' Casse concluded. 'The only way we weren't doing that is if I wasn't happy today. I've never seen Jose so excited. A mile and five sixteenths for three-and-a-half million – that's where we're going. I would have been shocked and disappointed if he didn't get over [the turf] because every indication he's ever given me was he would like grass.' The son of Tapit was a $1.2 million purchase at last year's OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the Distorted Humor mare Distorted Music, who won one race over the Arlington Park synthetic in 2014. He is a half-brother to graded stakes-winner She Can't Sing, who was Grade 3-placed and a three-time stakes-winner on grass. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.