"I put her in good position and let her do her own thing," said winning rider John Velazquez. "She started going to the lead and waiting, so I spanked her a couple of times to keep her mind interested. She did everything pretty easy."
"She was on her 'A' game today and when she is, her performance speaks for itself," said winning trainer Todd Pletcher. "She was just a better horse today than she was in the Mother Goose."
Stellar Jayne, under Robby Albarado, set comfortable fractions at :24 2/5, :48 3/5 and 1:12 2/5 with Ashado following on her flank. At the half-mile mark, Ashado went to the lead and Stellar Jayne appeared to tire. Magical Illusion, under Edgar Prado, followed Ashado around the turn for home, but then she tired, too. Stellar Jayne rallied for second. Magical Illusion was third.
"My filly ran hard; I take nothing from her," Albarado said about Stellar Jayne. "She was game late in the race when she had every reason to put it away and finish off the board and didn't."
H. James Bond, the trainer of Magical Illusion, said: "The racetrack and first time at the distance made it tough for her. She hasn't seemed to be able to relax yet. We've got a little bit of work to do, but she's a good filly."
Ashado - a dark bay Kentucky-bred 3-year-old filly by Saint Ballado, out of Goulash (Mari's Book) - earned $300,000 for owner Starlight Stables LLC, Paul Saylor and Johns Martin. She is now 7-3-1 from 11 starts with earnings of $1,605,440. She is also a perfect 4-for-4 on off tracks. Ashado is making a strong case for year-end honors as the Top 3-Year-Old Filly. She is now 3-2-0 from five starts in 2004 with victories in the Fair Ground Oaks (Gr. 2) on March 6 at the Fair Grounds, the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on April 30 at Churchill Downs and now the CCA Oaks (G1).
"We'll go from here to the Alabama and then we'll figure it out from there," Pletcher said.
Results Chart from DRF