Rachel’s Valentina training at Keeneland – Coady Photography/Keeneland Photo
Rachel’s Valentina, the grade I-winning filly out of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, has drawn post position eleven in the 142nd running of the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and has been made the morning line favorite at odds of 7-2.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Rachel’s Valentina was among the best two-year-olds of 2015, winning the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) and running second behind champion Songbird in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I). Rachel’s Valentina has only run once this year, but that was a solid runner-up effort in the Ashland Stakes (gr. I) after a prolonged battle for the lead, and given how well she has trained since then, a big step forward in the Kentucky Oaks would not be surprising.
Weep No More, who won the Ashland Stakes with a huge late rally, and Cathryn Sophia, who finished a close third in the Ashland, are the co-second choices on the morning line at 9-2. Land Over Sea, runner-up to Songbird in three grade I races and winner of the Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) last time out, 5-1 on the morning line.
The complete fieldwith jockey assignments and morning line odds is as follows:
PP, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Morning Line Odds
1 Terra Promessa, Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen, 10-1
2 Weep No More, Corey Lanerie, Rusty Arnold, 9-2
3 Lewis Bay, Irad Ortiz Jr., Chad Brown, 8-1
4 Go Maggie Go, Luis Saez, Dale Romans, 12-1
5 Dream Dance, Brian Hernandez Jr., Neil Howard, 30-1
6 Mokat, Flavien Prat, Richard Baltas, 20-1
7 Mo d’Amour, Joel Rosario, Todd Pletcher, 30-1
8 Royal Obsession, Florent Geroux, Steve Asmussen, 20-1
9 Paola Queen, Emisael Jaramillo, Gustavo Delgado, 30-1
10 Venus Valentine, Shaun Bridgmohan, Tom Amoss, 30-1
11 Rachel’s Valentina, John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher, 7-2
12 Cathryn Sophia, Javier Castellano, John Servis, 9-2
13 Land Over Sea, Mario Gutierrez, Doug O’Neill, 5-1
14 Taxable, Mike Smith, Steve Asmussen, 20-1
AE Dothraki Queen, Gary Stevens, Kenny McPeek, 30-1
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