Photo:
Ben Breland / Eclipse Sportswire
Although my top contender for the 2026 Kentucky Oaks Zany awaits this week’s Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, both Counting Stars and Prom Queen announced themselves as serious players for the big one on the first Friday in May.
Friday’s Fantasy Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park turned into a showcase for Counting Stars. One of the few American fillies nominated to this year’s Triple Crown, the daughter of Honor A.P. displayed why her connections have been high on her since the beginning.
Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by Mark Casse, she came into the $1 million affair off a strong closing second-place behind the highly regarded Explora in Oaklawn’s Honeybee Stakes (G3) four weeks ago. With that one scratching from the Fantasy due to illness, Counting Stars was made a heavy 9-10 favorite in the compact field of five.
Away in good order under rider Francisco Arrieta in the 1 1/16-mile test, Counting Stars enjoyed an excellent stalking position behind the pacesetter Empath. Through moderate to slow early splits, the race favorite always looked like a winner down the Oaklawn Park backstretch.
Making her move heading into the far turn, she easily put away the early leader and then stretched her lead when asked for a little speed turning for home.
From there, it was just a matter of the winning margin as Counting Stars cruised down the stretch and to the finish line an emphatic winner. She stopped the timer in a solid 1:44.47 finishing 5 1/4-lengths clear of her runner-up stablemate Search Party.
A $150,000 2-year-old in training purchase last March, the attractive bay filly raised her record to four wins in seven career starts earning her third stakes victory at Oaklawn Park. She also guaranteed herself a spot in the Kentucky Oaks field of 14 with the Fantasy victory.Â
Counting Stars exited Friday’s impressive win in good order, according to Casse, and will now await the 9-furlong Kentucky Oaks in five weeks at Churchill Downs. The Louisville oval is where she made a winning career debut last September.
Without much early pace in the Fantasy, she was closer to the lead than was expected. In the Kentucky Oaks, look for stronger early fractions which should allow her to relax early and bring her strong closing kick late.
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Not to be outdone by the Fantasy result, the Brad Cox-trained Prom Queen took a big step forward on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
With only two maiden starts to her credit, the daughter of Quality Road was full of promise heading into the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) but a newcomer to graded stakes racing. She aced the test in impressive fashion.
Unraced at 2, Prom Queen had broken her maiden by a big margin over the track last month. In her debut, the Gary and Mary West homebred was a sharp second to She Be Smooth. The two would meet again on Saturday.
Sent off as the 3-1 second choice in the field of seven behind the impressive Davona Dale (G2) winner She Be Smooth, Prom Queen broke smoothly and raced a bit wide going into the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile race.
Sitting in fifth under rider Javier Castellano, she moved into closer contention in third down the backstretch and loomed a threatening presence on the outside heading into the far turn as My Miss Mo set a moderate early pace.
The leading filly offered resistance to the move of Prom Queen, but heading into the stretch Castellano was still sitting chilly with Tyler Gaffalione still pumping hard on My Miss Mo.
There was little doubt down the lane as the winner easily put away her lone competition and strode out to the wire a 2 3/4-length winner in 1:44.40. Race favorite She Be Smooth rallied to be a non-threatening third.
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Out of the Tapit mare Miss Bling Bling, Prom Queen was not as impressive as Counting Stars had been in Arkansas the day before but still looked good in winning her stakes debut. After a nice performance when second in her debut, she has now won two straight and has improved with each race.
The Kentucky Oaks is coming up quickly for Prom Queen, who only made it to the races for the first time nine weeks ago, but she is clearly a talented filly to watch. Now fourth on the qualifying leaderboard, she will head to Churchill Downs as one of the more interesting fillies in the field.
If the unbeaten Zany runs to expectations in Friday’s Ashland, she will be the Kentucky Oaks favorite. The supporting cast, which also includes graded stakes winners, Bella Ballerna, Explora, Forced Entry, Life of Joy, and Meaning, is suddenly looking stronger and deeper.
We can now add the names of Counting Stars and Prom Queen as legitimate Kentucky Oaks contenders. They each proved they belong with smart wins over the weekend.