Kentucky Derby 2011: Plum Pretty Wins Kentucky Oaks

Added on May 07, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

Horse Racing

In her last start, Plum Pretty absolutely brutalized the field in the Sunland Derby winning the race by 25 lengths. Her victory in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks was much closer–and much more dramatic. Plum Pretty held on to edge the late charge of longshot in the St. John’s River to win the $1,000,000 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks by a neck.

Plum Pretty’s victory with Martin Garcia aboard gave superstar trainer Bob Baffert his second Kentucky Oaks victory. This one caused some anxious moments as the race went to a photo before the stewards gave Baffert’s filly the victory. After the race Baffert said that Plum Pretty has impressed him with her rapid improvement in her three year old campaign:

“This filly has really come around. She has really changed so much . . . I’ve never had a horse win a race by 25 lengths.”

Winning jockey Garcia cited his great rapport with Plum Pretty:

“She has relaxed so well for me in the mornings. When I ask her to go, she just takes off. When I got to the quarter pole, I had so much horse. That was a very impressive win by her.”

Plum Pretty’s owner–John Fort’s Peachtree Stables–said the wining run was unforgettable:

“I can say that the last half-hour has been the most emotional, most exciting, and most gratifying moments of my life.”

The crowd on hand was just short of last year’s record attendance but still an impressive turnout with over 110,000 fans jamming Churchill Downs. Las Virgenes winner and second favorite among bettors Zazu was 3rd, while race favorite Joyful Victory wound up in fourth place.

Plum Pretty paid $14.60, $7.00 and $4.60. St. John’s River returned $13.20 and $7.20 while Zaru paid out $4.00 to show. The 12-13 Exacta paid $163.00 with the 12-13-6 Trifecta returning $831.60. The 12-13-6-1 Superfecta paid out $4,110.20.

This was the first year that the Kentucky Oaks’ purse has been $1,000,000 increased from $500,000. It’s also the second Oaks victory in three years for a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro with superstar mare Rachel Alexandra taking the victory in 2009. Trainer Bob Baffert previously won the race in 1999 with Silverbulletday and will now try to achieve the very rare feat of winning the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby on the same weekend.