WinStar Farm homebred Kentucky Belle captured her stakes debut in Friday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Saratoga Oaks at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of WinStar-campaigned Triple Crown winner Justify entered from a four-month layoff after winning a first-level allowance on April 18 at Keeneland, defeating next-out winner Bless Her by a nose. Kentucky Belle dove into deeper waters for the Saratoga Oaks, where she squared off against four Graded stakes winners.
Breaking from the hedge over Saratoga’s Mellon Turf Course, Kentucky Belle settled towards the rear of the field early on behind opening fractions of 23.85 and 48.99 over the firm turf. Widest of them all around the far turn, Kentucky Belle confronted 3-2 favorite Faithful Departed in the final sixteenth to win by a head under Irad Ortiz, Jr. The winning effort garnered a career-high 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
Cox mentioned the Grade 3, $2 million Dueling Grounds Oaks on September 9 at Kentucky Downs as a possible next target for WinStar’s newest Graded stakes winner.
“That’d be the race we’d look at,” Cox said. “I think this horse should be able to handle the distance and hopefully be able to handle Kentucky Downs, you never know. We’ll see.”
Kentucky Belle is out of the Tiznow mare Dancing Fancy, whose mother was Canadian champion and Hall of Famer Dancethruthedawn. Her fourth dam is reine de course mare Classy n’ Smart, who produced influential sire Smart Strike as well as Kentucky Belle’s American and Canadian champion Dance Smartly.
