Immersive scoring the BC Juvenile Fillies. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Undefeated filly takes on Oaklawn stakes winners Take Charge Milady and Princess Aliyah at Churchill Downs
Bishops Bay bids for his fourth consecutive victory in Salvatore Mile at Monmouth Park
Robert Yates/Oaklawn Park
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.—Oaklawn stakes winners Take Charge Milady and Princess Aliyah face unbeaten champion Immersive in the 8 ½-furlong $175,000 Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Immersive (four-for-four) will be making her 2025 debut after capturing an Eclipse Award as the country’s champion 2-year-old filly for trainer Brad Cox. She is the 4-5 program favorite.
The Kenny McPeek-trained Take Charge Milady started four times this season at Oaklawn, highlighted by a one-mile maiden allowance race victory Jan. 5 and a 5 ¾-length romp over Quietside in the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 25.
The Martha Washington was Oaklawn’s first of three preps for the G1-Kentucky Oaks, the country’s biggest prize for 3-year-old fillies. Quietside returned to win the final two legs – $500,000 G3-Honeybee Stakes Feb. 23 and the $750,000 G2-Fantasy Stakes March 29.
Take Charge Milady finished 10th in the Honeybee and scratched from the Fantasy in favor of the $750,000 G1-Ashland Stakes April 7 at Keeneland. She finished second in the Ashland and hasn’t started since finishing 12th in the nine-furlong Kentucky Oaks May 2 at Churchill Downs.
Take Charge Milady is scheduled to break from post 6 under Brian Hernandez Jr. and carry equal top weight of 122 pounds.
Princess Aliyah, trained by Hall of Famer D. Wane Luaks, broke her maiden in an Oaklawn one-mile maiden allowance race March 9, then finished sixth in the Fantasy – her stakes debut – before rebounding to win the one-mile $200,000 Valley of the Vapors Stakes April 19 at Oaklawn. She exits a seventh-place finish in the $300,000 G2-Black-Eyed Susan Stakes May 16 at Pimlico.
Probable post time for the Monomoy Girl is 1:45 p.m. (Central). It’s the fifth race on a 10-race program.
Bishops Bay Returns
Bishops Bay bids for his fourth consecutive victory in the $150,000 G3-Salvatore Mile for 3-year-olds and up Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Co-owned by prominent Arkansas automobile dealer Steve Landers, Bishops Bay made his first three starts this year at Oaklawn, where he won a Jan. 25 allowance race and the $145,000 American Pharoah Overnight Stakes for older horses March 29.
The 6-5 program favorite, Bishops Bay exits a half-length victory in the one-mile $175,000 G3-Westchester Stakes May 4 at Aqueduct. Flavien Prat has the return call on Bishops Bay for Brad Cox, Oaklawn’s co-sixth-leading trainer this season. Oaklawn-raced Antigravity and Awesome Ruta are also entered in the Salvatore Mile for trainer Dan Ward.
Finish Lines … … …… …….
Oaklawn stakes winner Lambeth and Oaklawn-raced Tapit Shoes are entered in the $200,000 Chorleywood Stakes for older horses at 1 3/8 miles on the turf Saturday at Churchill Downs. …
Oaklawn stakes winner Majestic Oops and Oaklawn maiden allowance graduate Gold Strategy are entered Saturday’s $100,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes Saturday at Monmouth Park. …
Oaklawn allowance winner Kinzie Queen is entered in the $300,000 G3-Delaware Oaks Saturday at Delaware Park. …
Oaklawn-raced Admiral Dennis and La Houligan are entered in the $200,000 Delaware Derby Saturday. Oaklawn stakes winner Sir Wellington is entered in Delaware Park’s six-furlong $100,000 Alapocas Stakes Saturday. Oaklawn-raced Wildncrazynight is entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park. …
Oaklawn-raced Done Enough is entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park. …
Oaklawn-raced Highestdistinction is entered in the $150,000 Monmouth Stakes on the turf Saturday at Monmouth Park.
