Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade 1)

JOHN Velazquez became the eighth rider to score the Kentucky Derby-Kentucky Oaks double on back-to-back days, joining fellow Hall of Famers Isaac Murphy (1884), Bill Boland (1950), Eddie Arcaro (1952), Don Brumfield (1966), Jerry Bailey (1993) and Calvin Borel (2009), along with Don Meade (1933).

He started the historic weekend, which also included a victory for Baffert on Derby Day aboard 2020 champion female sprinter Gamine in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff Stakes, with an even more tactically adjusted win on Shadwell Stable’s undefeated filly Malathaat in the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks.

Sent off as the 5/2 favourite in the field of 13, Malathaat got away a step slow and bumped with Will’s Secret leaving the gate. She dropped back a few more places than Velazquez planned while Travel Column, Moraz and Search Results set the pace.

“The plan was to break well and get a good position, and that didn’t happen,” Velazquez said. “Obviously we knew the horses to beat. It’s important to get a good break and position you like. When that didn’t happen, we had to change it right away.

“Riding a good horse like her, I had to take my chances and try to put her in a position that I thought I should have been in and she helped me get there.

Comfortable

“Once I was there in the first turn, I was comfortable where she was. I’m watching the horses in front closely and I see Irad (Ortiz Jr, aboard Search Results) is watching as well . . . I only had to worry about him. Then I was pretty comfortable. She’s a horse that is steady coming, steady coming.”

Malathaat, a $1.05 million yearling out of beaten 2013 Kentucky Oaks favourite Dreaming Of Julia, and racing in the Shadwell colours, continued to advance through the lane and won a determined battle with Search Results by a neck.

The daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin gave Todd Pletcher his fourth Oaks win, just one behind Woody Stephens on the all-time list. She also started a topsy turvy run for her conditioner, who saw his four Derby starters struggle in ninth (Known Agenda), 11th (Sainthood), 13th (Bourbonic) and Dynamic One (18th) before he was announced as part of the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame induction class of 2021 four days later.

“She’s such a professional,” Pletcher said of Malathaat. “Not only is she tremendously talented she’s also a very kind filly around the barn. You can’t help but love her personality. You can literally do anything with her. To have that type of personality around the barn and be as special as she is on the racetrack, it’s just rare that you find too many like this.”