Mexican Champion Letruska Under The Radar In Apple Blossom Showdown Sponsored by:
Letruska and Jesus Castanon win the Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston Race Park
Clearly, the stars of the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (Grade 1) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn are Eclipse Award winners Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver.
As for the small supporting cast, the most accomplished of the four other entrants is Letruska for trainer Fausto Gutierrez and breeder/owner St. George Stable LLC (German Larrea Mota-Velasco).
A champion in Mexico for her Mexican connections, the speedy Letruska has won 12 of 17 lifetime starts, including the $125,000 Shuvee (G3) Aug. 30 at Saratoga and the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Jan. 31 at Sam Houston. In her return to Oaklawn, Letruksa finished second, beaten a head by Shedaresthedevil, in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 13. The Azeri is the final major local prep for the Apple Blossom.
$1M Purse Sparks Monomoy Girl-Swiss Skydiver Showdown
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Swiss Skydiver and jockey Robby Albarado win the Beholder in the 2020 3-year-old filly champion s seasonal debut
Shortly after weights were released early Saturday afternoon, trainer Kenny McPeek said champion Swiss Skydiver “absolutely” would return to Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., for a showdown with champion Monomoy Girl in the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles April 17.
“We re coming with a beast,” McPeek said.
Post positions for the Apple Blossom and the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G1) for older horses April 17 will be drawn Tuesday. Monomoy Girl was assigned top weight of 124 pounds for the Apple Blossom, 2 pounds more than Swiss Skydiver.
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Shedaresthedevil at Churchill Downs last fall
Shedaresthedevil, a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the country s champion 3-year-old filly of 2020, will make her seasonal debut in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares Saturday at Oaklawn.
Probable post time for the Azeri, which goes as the fifth of 12 races, is 2:03 p.m. (Central). The 1 1/16-mile Azeri is the final major local prep for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 17.
Shedaresthedevil will be making her first start since finishing third in her first race against older horses, the $400,000 Spinster Stakes (G1) Oct. 4 at Keeneland. Shedaresthedevil had won her previous three starts, including the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks, which was moved from the spring to the fall last year because of COVID-19, is the nation s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.
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America s Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air coverage both Saturday and Sunday showcasing live racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Oaklawn Park.
Presented by America s Best Racing and Claiborne Farm,
America s Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 2-3 p.m. Eastern on FS1 and from 3-6 p.m. on FS2. Sunday will feature coverage on FS2 from 1:30-6:30 p.m.
Saturday s stakes-laden card from Oaklawn is headlined by the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel (Race 11, 6:16 p.m. Eastern), a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomores offering 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers. The Rebel will be shown on America s Day at the Races via NYRA s YouTube channel, the FOX Sports app and via NYRA Bets from 6-6:30 p.m.
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