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Pin Up Betty winning the Regret Stakes. (John Gallagher/Coady Media)
By Jennie Rees
FRANKLIN, Ky. — The initial 12 invitations for 3-year-old fillies to run in the $1.6 million Pepsi Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational have been announced.
Rigney Racing’s Buchu is the most accomplished filly in the prospective field, winning Keeneland’s Grade 2 Jessamine last year to earn a shot at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). She came in a respectable sixth, beaten less than three lengths, and started her 2024 season with a victory in Keeneland’s Appalachian (G2). She’s 0 for 4 since but has been keeping good company, including finishing fourth in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) in her last start on Aug. 17.
Three horses are expected from Europe.
Irish training icon Aidan O’Brien is sending over Kentucky-bred Greenfinch, a daughter of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Greenfinch is expected to first run in the $2 million Light & Wonder Ladies Marathon Sept. 7 if she gets in the field. Plan B was getting an invitation to the Dueling Grounds Oaks. Greenfinch was fourth in a couple of Group 3 stakes in Ireland and most recently won a small stakes.
Andreas Suborics is shipping German Oaks (G1) third-place finisher Lady Mary (GER) and John Murtagh is bringing Irish stakes-winner Siege of Troy (GB) for the 1 5/16-mile Dueling Grounds Oaks.
Coming in out of the Grade 1 Saratoga Oaks is third-place finisher Dancing N Dixie, the Churchill Downs Tepin winner for Casse, and runner-up Kathynmarissa, who was third in the Tepin for Rick Dutrow.
The top four finishers from Ellis Park’s Grade 3 Pucker Up are among the dozen: victorious Waves of Mischief (trainer Brendan Walsh), Pin Up Betty (second by a head for Mike Maker), Kalispera (Lynch) and Mo Fox Givin (Mark Casse). Pin Up Betty, a homebred for Kirk Wycoff’s Three Diamonds Farm, was a good fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational run at Aqueduct. Before that she won Churchill Downs’ Regret (G3).
The Graham Motion-trained Yatta won a maiden victory last year at Kentucky Downs. She comes into her return visit off of a Laurel allowance victory.
