If Secret Oath never wins another race, her fans have much to remember with a great deal happening at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.
Winless since the first Friday of last May, Arrogate's daughter immortalized herself in some circles as winner of the 148th Kentucky Oaks. Running in the state she was foaled and for her Kentucky owners and breeders, Secret Oath won by two lengths at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Second was Nest, the future 3-year-old filly champion for Todd Pletcher despite losing to stablemate Malathaat in the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland.
The Oaks restored Hall of Fame trainer Wayne Lukas to the spotlight, the 87-year-old horseman coming off a splendid Oaklawn season that Secret Oath won three races (the Grade 3 Honeybee included) and ran third against males in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. He also raced Secret Oath's dam, winning two Oaklawn stakes with Absinthe Minded.
If anyone knows how to keep an older female at top form, long as the horse's spirit is willing and she is not smitten with going to the breeding shed, it is Lukas. An Oaklawn winner at 3 for Lukas before he became "the Coach," Lady's Secret beat males at 4 when Horse of the Year in 1986. Serena's Song belongs in the same pantheon of female runners, and Lukas saddled Azeri to her record third Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap in 2004 after the '02 Horse of the Year was transferred from the barn of Laura de Seroux.
Oaklawn today honors Azeri with a Grade 2 race used as an Apple Blossom prep. Eight older horses vie for $350,000 at the Apple Blossom distance of a mile and one-sixteenth, the main event to follow April 15 carrying a $1 million purse. She shares the Azeri spotlight with 5-year-old Clairiere, a multiple Grade 1 winner for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.
Secret Oath here makes her 4-year-old debut after owners Robert and Stacy Mitchell (Briland Farm) withdrew her from a breeding-stock sale post Breeders' Cup, when a good fourth in the Distaff.
"They honestly talked about it, seriously," Lukas said about selling Secret Oath. "Rob Mitchell, himself, he thought that it was time, maybe, to cash in and it would change everything. Like he said, you would be mortgage free after that. Yet, Stacy never really endorsed that. She never talked like it was going to happen. They discussed it back and forth and finally, like all situations, the wife always wins out."
Clairiere, owned by Barbara Banke of Curlin fame, won last year's Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park and the 2021 Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx Racing. But after twice beating Malathaat, Clairiere's 2022 championship hopes were spoiled when the previous year's champion filly beat her rival twice in late season, including the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
"Obviously, Clairiere's a very special mare and very fortunate to have her in training," said Asmussen. "Hopefully, we'll get her year started off right."
With neither Grade 1 winner having raced since the BC Distaff, Clairiere (by Curlin) is the early 6-5 favorite from post two. Joel Rosario rides with 119 pounds. Secret Oath gets Tyler Gaffalione from the rail post and is 5-2.
Two-time meet stakes winner Lovely Ride pays the weight penalty with 124 pounds, leading rider Cristian Torres aboard from post two for trainer Robertino Diodoro. Little Rock attorney John Holleman races Lovely Ride, meet winner of the Mistletoe and Pippin. Others entered are last-out American Beauty winner Hot and Sultry for Arkansas owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong and the seasonal debut of Staton Flurry's two-time graded winner Interstatedaydream.
Off since August, 4-year-old Interstatedaydream scored a first-level allowance victory last March at Oaklawn for her Hot Springs owner. Brad Cox trains the filly, who has trained this winter in New Orleans, and with Flurry won the 2021 Azeri with retired multiple Grade 1 winner Shedaresthedevil.
"She looks really good physically," Cox said. "Her breezes have been good. She's always been a very solid work horse. Looking forward to seeing her get started at 4." Florent Geroux rides from post 5 under 119 pounds.
Also entered are Grade 3 winner Hidden Connection, fellow stakes winner Moon Swag and Chilean stakes veteran Le Da Vida.
"It's falling in there pretty nice," Lukas summed up the race. "It's the first major one (in 2023) that has the significance in a lot of ways. It's got a good purse, which at this time of the year is attractive, and then it gives everybody a chance to see where they're at against the very best. The only one that's missing, probably, is Nest."
Secret Oath and Clairiere are proven beyond the Azeri distance of 1 1/16 mile, which is also the distance of the Apple Blossom. The Kentucky Oaks was nine furlongs.
Secret Oath has three straight best-of-the-morning Oaklawn drills at five furlongs, zipping home in 59.80 seconds over a sloppy track March 3. She demonstrated a strong closing surge in several races last year.
"I don't think she's going to change much," Lukas said. "I still think she's got that explosive kick. She really had that. I would test it just a little bit in these works, a couple of times where we just ask her to jump into the bit and, boy, she responds. She's stronger, so I would say that she can sustain a longer kick than she did at 3. And that just goes to 4-year-olds, obviously, but I don't see her doing much different. I think she'll be close enough not to get into trouble, hopefully, and when she kicks in, she kicks in."
Ninth of 10 races at Oaklawn on the third day of the state high school basketball finals at Bank OZK Arena, the Azeri goes at 4:54 p.m. First post is 12:35 p.m.