Willa B Awesome to bypass the Kentucky Oaks
The 3-year-old Walther Solis trained filly, Willa B Awesome, has launched all of her starts in California, and the 13 to 1 upset winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks on 31 March, 2012, will stay at home instead of going at Churchill Downs to compete in
the Grade 1, $1 million Kentucky Oaks on 4 May, 2012.
The news was confirmed by trainer Walther Solis, who trains the filly for owners Phil Daniels, Patsy London, John Winters with partnership of breeder Terry Lovingier.
The California bred daughter of Awesome Gambler, out of mare Cause I’m Tricky by Nineeleven, kicked off her 2012 campaign with a win in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita Park at about 1 1/16 miles, where she defeated Killer Graces in second
and Lady of Shamrock in third with the winning time of 1 minute and 41.73 seconds.
She stayed at Santa Anita Park for her next start, where she got cut back in distance from 1 1/16 miles to 1 mile in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes, but got beat by Eden’s Moon in fourth on 3 March, 2012.
She bounced back in emphatic style in her last race and won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks at about 1 1/16 miles also at Santa Anita Park, but now instead of going to the Kentucky Oaks, the 3-year-old filly will stay in California to run in the restricted
$300,000 Melair Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park on 28 April, 2012.
“If she was to go to the Oaks, it would cost us quite a bit of money,” said Solis. Willa B Awesome will enter the Kentucky Oaks at the time of entry, thus being a supplemented entry with the fee of $30,000.
“If we didn’t have this race at home (the Melair), we probably would have gone (to the Oaks), but (the Melair) is strictly for Cal-breds at 1 1/8 miles and she’s one of the toughest competitors to go that distance,” Solis added. “You put all those facts
together and we’re convinced if we stay home, it will be better for us.”
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