Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on Saturday, handicappers need to make hard decisions.
Malathaat starts as the morning line favorite with an undefeated 4-for-4 record, but the question is whether her form appears strong enough to trust her against new faces in this spot, such as the co-second choices Travel Column and Search Results.
The Kentucky Oaks is carded as Race 11 with a post time of 5:51 p.m EDT.
1. Pauline’s Pearl, 20-1 (Tapit – Steven Asmussen/Ricardo Santana Jr. – 5: 2-1-1 - $461,500): Pauline’s Pearl took the Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn by one length over Ava’s Grace in second and Coach off a stalking trip with a relatively high 107 TimeformUS Speed Figure. Two starts ago, though, Pauline’s Pearl lost to Will’s Secret in the Honeybee Stakes (G3). Will’s Secret was no match for Malathaat and Pass the Champagne in the Ashland Stakes (G1), but Pauline’s Pearl also was compromised by the pace in the Honeybee. For what it is worth, Pauline s Pearl