The Grade 1 American Oaks Stakes, a race restricted to three-year-old fillies only, is set to take place on the opening day card at Santa Anita. The race, which boasts a purse of $300,000, is one of six graded stakes that will be run on the day, and it promises to be an exciting contest, with a field of eight fillies set to line up at the start.
Leading the charge in the race is a trio of fillies who have already tasted success at the highest level. Among them is Harvey's Lil Goil, who won the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland last year. The filly is trained by Bill Mott, and will be ridden by Martin Garcia.
Also looking to make her mark is Sharla Rae, who won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks last summer. This Jerry Hollendorfer-trained filly has shown plenty of promise in her career so far, and could well be in with a chance of taking the top prize.
The third filly to watch out for is Varda, who won the Grade 1 Beholder Mile in March. The Bob Baffert-trained filly has been in outstanding form recently, and will likely attract plenty of interest from punters.
But while these three fillies will get plenty of attention from race-goers, there are other talented runners in the field as well. One such horse is Neige Blanche, who is trained by Chad Brown. This filly has been running well of late, and could well be a dark horse in the race.
Another horse to watch out for is Fluffy Socks. This filly, who is trained by Chad Brown, has run well in each of her last four starts, finishing no worse than third in any of them. With Joel Rosario set to ride her, Fluffy Socks could well be in with a shout of taking the top prize.
Other fillies in the field include the John Shirreffs-trained Pizzazz, the Neil Drysdale-trained Nicest, and the Richard Mandella-trained Miss Extra. While these horses may not have quite the same level of past success as the three leading contenders, they are all capable of putting in a strong showing.
Overall, this promises to be a fascinating race that will likely come down to the wire. While the likes of Harvey's Lil Goil, Sharla Rae, and Varda are certainly the most likely horses to take the top prize, there are plenty of talented fillies in the field who could upset the odds. Horse racing fans will undoubtedly be eagerly anticipating the American Oaks Stakes, and we can expect a thrilling contest on the day.