Don’t let the 79-degree weather forecast fool you.
Showers are expected throughout the day Friday with scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon, according to weather.com. Depending on how much rain falls, the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs might have less-than-ideal conditions.
A sloppy track would be a new experience for some of the fillies, but others have raced in the mud.
If it rains, it would be the fourth Oaks in 10 years with wet conditions. Two years ago, Secret Oath, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, finished first on a wet track. In 2017, the Bob Baffert-trained Abel Tasman won on a sloppy track.
Lukas’ Lemon Muffin, who had 30-1 morning-line odds for this year’s Oaks, has not raced on a wet track.
Here are the fillies who have raced in sloppy conditions and how they fared:
Tarifa
The 3-year-old filly, the morning-line favorite at 7-2 for this year’s Oaks, won her first graded stakes in sloppy conditions, taking first in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Feb. 17 at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.
Just F Y I
Sired by Justify, the bay filly made her racing debut on a sloppy track and won the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes on Oct. 7 at Belmont at the Big A in Ozone Park, New York. She is among the favorites at 9-2.
Gin Gin
Of the Oaks horses, Gin Gin, 30-1 in the morning-line odds, has the most experience on muddy and sloppy tracks. She won the Busanda Stakes in the mud Jan. 13 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York, placed second in the Rags to Riches Stakes on a sloppy Churchill Downs track Oct. 29 and finished third in the Busher Stakes on March 2 at sloppy Aqueduct.
Regulatory Risk
The Kentucky-bred filly, 20-1 in the morning-line odds, finished fifth in the Busher Stakes.
Tapit Jenallie
Although Tapit Jenallie, sired by Tapit, is without a graded stakes win, she won the My Trusty Cat Stakes on Nov. 10 on a sloppy Delta Downs track in Vinton, Louisiana. She also placed fourth in the Martha Washington Stakes on Feb. 3 at sloppy Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She was 30-1 in the morning-line odds.
Into Champagne
The Kentucky filly, 30-1 in the morning-line odds, has raced once on a sloppy track, winning the Glitter Woman Stakes on Jan. 7 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida.
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Which horses in the Kentucky Oaks 2024 have done the best in rain?
