Paradise Woods bidding to confirm superstar potential

Preview: USA, Friday 11.12pm BST (live on ATR)

1m1f | dirt | 3yo fillies

No sooner was divisional leader Unique Bella ruled out of the Kentucky Oaks a couple of months ago with a shin injury than another potential superstar filly emerged on the west coast in the shape of Paradise Woods (Richard Mandella/Flavien Prat).

On only the third start of her career, she won the Santa Anita Oaks by 11¾ lengths in a totally dominant performance. Now she is set to start a strong favourite for America's senior race for three-year-old fillies, in which Paradise Woods bids to fill a significant omission on her Hall of Fame trainer's CV.

"She's come a long way fast with only three races," said Mandella, who in a long and glittering career has never won either the Kentucky Derby or Oaks.

"We're here to do the best we can," added the trainer. "I've been here and know the obstacles involved with a race like this – and I haven’t had a lot of luck at Churchill."

Paradise Woods, a daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, starts from gate four in a maximum 14-runner field for the $1 million Classic in which the favourite's rivals are headed by a pair of fillies who enter the Oaks off big winning streaks.

Miss Sky Warrior (Kelly Breen/Paco Lopez) has won her last five – including a 13-length romp in the Grade 2 Gazelle at Aqueduct on her most recent outing. She is the only filly in the race to have won at the Oaks distance.

Farrell (Wayne Catalano/Channing Hill) has won four in a row and five out of six in her career, including a pair of comfortable successes in Graded company at Fair Grounds; she likes this venue too, having taken the Grade 2 Golden Rod by six lengths at Churchill Downs in the autumn.

Either or both of Miss Sky Warrior and Farrell could try to pressure Paradise Woods up front, while a forecast for rain in the Louisville area adds another question.

Any prospect of a pace battle could benefit Salty (Mark Casse/Joel Rosario), easy winner of the Gulfstream Park Oaks last time out. Although she is drawn widest of all in gate 14, she is unlikely to be involved in the chase for the lead so her trainer isn't overly concerned.

Bob Baffert seeks his third Kentucky Oaks success with Abel Tasman (Mike Smith), a Grade 1 winner at two for former trainer Simon Callaghan. But she was a long way behind Paradise Woods last time at Santa Anita, despite being sent off an odds-on favourite.

Also on Friday

Churchill Downs: La Troienne Stakes (Grade 1) 1m½f | dirt | 4yo+ f/m (5.35pm BST)

Breeders' Cup winner Finest City (Ian Kruljac/Mike Smith) heads the entries here – but with rain in the forecast, she may wait until Saturday's card, where the Filly & Mare Sprint heroine is also engaged in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff.

The latter contest is a 7f event, and Finest City has never won at any distance beyond that; she has also never raced outside California. "I'm going to compare the two races and make a decision, probably go with the drier track," said Kruljac.

Paid Up Subscriber (Chad Brown/Joel Rosario), unbeaten in three previous outings at Churchill Downs, looks best of the remainder. She was purchased by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm for $1.1m at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Churchill Downs: Alysheba Stakes (Grade 2) 1m½f | dirt | 4yo+ (6.17pm BST)

American Freedom (Bob Baffert/Rafael Bejarano), second to stablemate Arrogate in last year's Travers Stakes, returns to action after a long layoff.

Honorable Duty (Brendan Walsh/James Graham) renews rivalry with Breaking Lucky (Reade Baker/Javier Castellano), whom he beat a neck last month in Grade 2 company to complete a stakes hat-trick at Fair Grounds in Grade 2 company.

Churchill Downs: Eight Belles Stakes (Grade 2) 7f | dirt | 3yo (7.53pm BST)

Ghalia (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez) bids to extend her unbeaten sequence to four – but it won't be easy in a hot-looking contest featuring a full field of 14 fillies. Rivals include Florida Fabulous (David Fawkes/Paco Lopez), never headed in two starts to date, plus Union Strike (Mick Ruis/Brice Blanc) and Pretty City Dancer (Mark Casse/Julien Leparoux), who both scored at Grade 1 level as two-year-olds.

Churchill Downs: Edgewood Stakes (Grade 3) 1m½f | turf | 3yo fillies (10.04pm BST, live on ATR)

Royal Ascot possible La Coronel (Mark Casse/Julien Leparoux), who holds a Coronation Stakes entry, is the headline act here after an impressive victory last time at Keeneland in the Grade 3 Appalachian.

However, she has been drawn wide in gate 12 and her trainer is said to prefer Saturday's American Turf on the Kentucky Derby undercard, leaving stablemate Dream Dancing to do the honours.