Javier Castellano celebrates after riding Cathryn Sophia to victory in the 142nd running of the Kentucky Oaks horse race at Churchill Downs Friday, May 6, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. Post time is 5:49 p.m. on Friday. Other fancied runners include Land Over Sea (Doug O’Neill/Mario Gutierrez) and Lewis Bay (Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz), respective winners of the Fair Grounds Oaks and the Gazelle.
Advertisement
Cathryn Sophia trainer John Servis admitted Tuesday he likely would have skipped the Oaks had Songbird entered the race. She quickly exceeded expectations after Servis, best known as the trainer of 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion Smarty Jones, began working with her about a year ago.
Cathryn Sophia won her first four races by more than a combined 40 lengths. However, this year Churchill held 13 races on the Oaks card, one more than last year.
The Pennsylvania-based owner said he was specifically looking to purchase a Maryland-bred because “I had been following the program there and saw it was improving”. “Maybe the runner-up in the Santa Anita Oaks was a fluke but we will give her 30-60 days off and point her to the Del Mar Oaks”.
Even though Cathryn Sophia was coming off a solid third in the Ashland behind Weep No More and Rachel’s Valentina, Servis conceded he probably wouldn’t have run her in the Oaks if Songbird was there.
Having undergone surgery for a displaced palate since his last outing, the 9-1 chance blasted away from the gate and never looked back, setting intense fractions en route to a two-length victory.
One night in April the groom couldn’t corral her to put a night sheet on her. This past Thursday, Servis said, “The groom pulled the bridle off. As soon as he did that, she just wheeled around and bit him in the stomach and threw him out of the stall”.
Although she was in the hunt for a while, Rachel’s Valentina eventually finished sixth, with Weep No More seventh.
“When you take horses here early and everybody gets an opportunity to see them train and they train as well as she has”, Brown said, “you’re going to create some interest”.
Ashland upset victor Weep No More deserves consideration just for her name. The victory was also the first in the Oaks for Castellano.
Her five straight tries against Songbird resulted in three seconds and a third, a creditable record in view of just how dominant Songbird has been.
The filly is named for Zacney’s niece, Cathryn McCarry, a freshman soccer player at Rowan.
The Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation donated $50,000 and helped raise an additional $28,294 through on-line donations to benefit Bright Pink, a national non-profit focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women. She ran a nice race.
Advertisement
The Oaks was robbed of some of its glamour with the absence of unbeaten Songbird who is being treated for a fever.
