Kentucky Oaks-Bound Tapit Jenallie To Ship To Churchill Downs Monday

Oaklawn-based Tapit Jenallie will depart Monday for Churchill Downs to continue preparations for the $1.5-million G1-Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks is the country’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.

A homebred for Arkansan Kevin Horton (Willis Horton Racing), Tapit Jenallie went through Oaklawn’s three-race Kentucky Oaks points series, finishing fourth in the Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 3, second in the Honeybee (G3) Feb. 24 and third in the  Fantasy (G2) March 30. All three races were 1 1/16 miles.

“She’s a nice filly,” trainer Eddie Milligan Jr. said Sunday morning. “We’ve had some unfortunate luck with her after Delta (Downs, where she won the My Trusty Cat Stakes Nov. 10). I kind of got behind on her a little bit. She had a few minor things that we had to work on. I feel very blessed and fortunate that she’s been able to be as consistent as she is.”

Tapit Jenallie, by Tapit, won her first two career starts, including the seven-furlong  My Trusty Cat, then suffered her first career loss with a fifth-place finish in the one-mile  Year’s End Stakes Dec. 31 at Oaklawn in her start prior to the Martha Washington..

Tapit Jenallie has 54 points to rank ninth on the official Kentucky Oaks leaderboard. The Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters.

“Head up there and try to get a couple of decent works in her there and see what we can get done,” Milligan said.

Fantasy winner Thorpedo Anna and Honeybee winner Lemon Muffin are also pointing for the Kentucky Oaks. Thorpedo Anna (105 points) and Lemon Muffin (50) rank fifth and 11, respectively, on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.