(Drexel Hill, outside, will be back after a 2nd place run in the 2025 Kentucky Oaks / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Churchill Downs Media Team / Darren Rogers:

$1 MILLION FASIG-TIPTON LA TROIENNE ATTRACTS STELLAR FIELD OF 11

 

Six Other Graded Stakes Comprise Part of Banner 13-Race Longines Kentucky Oaks Program

 

LOUISVILLE, KY (Saturday, April 25, 2026) – Drexel Hill and Bless the Broken, the 2-3 finishers from last spring’s Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), will square off again Friday in a field of 11 for the 41st running of the $1 million Fasig-Tipton La Troienne (G1) for fillies and mares going a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.

The La Troienne is one of seven graded stakes worth a combined $5.55 million on a lucrative 13-race program beginning at 12:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) that is headlined by the 152nd running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI).

Legion Racing’s Drexel Hill, trained by Whit Beckman, will be making her first start since a fourth-place finish in the Royal Delta (GIII) at Gulfstream Park in February. Ben Curtis has the mount from post 11.

Mountmellick Farm, Qatar Racing and Hunter Valley Farm’s Bless the Broken, now trained by Brad Cox, enters the La Troienne off a runner-up effort in the Beholder Mile (GI) last month at Santa Anita. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 1.

The La Troienne is scheduled as the day’s 11th race with a 6:56 p.m. post time.

The field for the La Troienne (with jockey and trainer):

  • Bless the Broken (Irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox)
  • Scalable (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher)
  • Nerazurri (Cristian Torres, Mark Casse)
  • Miss Justify (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
  • Shred the Gnar (Luis Saez, Brian Lynch)
  • Take Charge Omaha (Mario Gutierrez, Matt Sims)
  • Chasten (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox)
  • Dry Powder (Dylan Davis, Chad Summers)
  • Fully Subscribed (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
  • Sowyte (Joel Rosario, Danny Gargan)
  • Drexel Hill (Ben Curtis, Whit Beckman)

SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING BAEZA HEADLINE FIELD OF NINE FOR $750,000 ALYSHEBA – Daniel Alonso’s $5.7 million earner Skippylongstocking and C R K Stable and Grandview Equine’s Baeza head a field of nine for the 23rd running of the $750,000 Alysheba (GII) Presented by U.S. Army for 4-year-olds and up going a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.

The Alysheba is scheduled as the day’s ninth race with a 5:12 p.m. post time.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Skippylongstocking brings a three-race win streak into the Alysheba highlighted by a victory in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1). Tyler Gaffalione has the mount from post 7.

Baeza, third here last year in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont Stakes (GI), will be making his first start since finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI). Junior Alvarado has the mount from post 2.

The field for the Alysheba (with jockey, trainer):

  • Navajo Warrior (Francisco Arrieta, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
  • Baeza (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott)
  • Grande (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher)
  • Tappan Street (Flavien Prat, Brad Cox)
  • East Avenue (Cristian Torrese, Brendan Walsh)
  • Nu What’s New (Luis Saez, Jimmy DiVito)
  • Skippylongstocking (Tyler Gaffalione, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
  • Corporate Power (Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen)
  • Disruptor (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher)

ON TIME GIRL HEADS EIGHT BELLES FIELD OF NINE – Albaugh Family Stables’ On Time Girl, winner of the Fern Creek here last fall and Forward Gal (GIII) in January, heads a deep field of nine 3-year-old fillies for the 71st running of the $700,000 Eight Belles (GII) Presented by Sysco going seven furlongs on the main track.

Trained by Brad Cox, On Time Girl will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post nine.

The Eight Belles is scheduled as the day’s eighth race with a 4:30 p.m. post time.

The field for the Eight Belles (with jockey, trainer):

  • Front Runnin (Edgar Morales, Chasey Deville Pomier)
  • French Friction (Cristian Torres, Mark Casse)
  • River Wind (Tyler Gaffalione, Norm Casse)
  • Paradise (John Velazquez, Brad Cox)
  • Solemn Vow (Jose Ortiz, Al Stall Jr.)
  • Sippin Pretty (Brian Hernandez Jr., Ian Wilkes)
  • Luv Your Neighbor (Luis Saez, Mike Stidham)
  • Goodall (Flavien Prat, Steve Asmussen)
  • On Time Girl (Irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox)

APPALACHIAN 1-2-3- FINISHERS RETURN IN EDGEWOOD – William Werner’s Storm’s Wake, Mark Dobbin’s Imaginationthelady and Emcee Stable’s Lion Lake (IRE), the 1-2-3 finishers in the Appalachian (GII) three weeks ago at Keeneland, headline a field of 14 for the 42nd running of the $600,000 Edgewood (GII) Presented by Accenture for 3-year-old fillies going a mile and a sixteenth on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

The Edgewood is scheduled as the day’s 12th race with a 7:40 p.m. post time.

Trained by Brian Lynch, Storm’s Wake rallied to edge Imaginationthelady by a neck in the Appalachian with Lion Lake another neck back. Joel Rosario retains the mount on Storm’s Wake from post 1.

Brendan Walsh trains Imaginationthelady and Lion Lake. Imaginationthelady was making her 2026 debut in the Appalachian following a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GI) and Lion Lake was coming off a victory in the Herecomesthebride (GIII). Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Imagainationthelady from post 3 and John Velazquez rides Lion Lake from post 8.

The field for the Edgewood (with jockey, trainer):

  • Storm’s Wake (Joel Rosario, Brian Lynch)
  • Connect the Stars (Javier Castellano, Mark Casse)
  • Imaginationthelady (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
  • Lorelei Lee (Fernando De La Cruz, Mike Maker)
  • Just Aloof (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
  • Tam Tam (Junior Alvarado, Phil Bauer)
  • Lovely Grey (Dylan Davis, Kelsey Danner)
  • Lion Lake (IRE) (John Velazquez, Brendan Walsh)
  • Dandona (Jose Ortiz, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
  • Bohemian (Brian Hernandez Jr., Joe Sharp)
  • Time to Dream (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher)
  • Taken by the Wind (Luis Saez, Kenny McPeek)
  • Indigo Woods (IRE) (Axel Concepcion, Brendan Walsh)
  • To a Flame (Edgar Morales, Rusty Arnold II)

BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT WINNER SHISOSPICY MAKES 2026 DEBUT IN UNBRIDLED SIDNEY – MorplayRacing’s Shisospicy, winner of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (GI) over males, makes her 2026 debut when she headlines a field of seven for the 16th running of the $500,000 Unbridled Sidney (GII) for fillies and mares going 5 ½ furlongs on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

The Unbridled Sidney is scheduled as the day’s seventh race with a 3:48 p.m. post time.

Trained by Jose D’Angelo, Shisospicy won all five of her North American grass starts in 2025 in a campaign that included a 4 ¼-length victory in the Mamzelle (GIII) at Churchill Downs. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 6.

The field for the Unbridled Sidney (with jockey, trainer):

  • Mae Town (Florent Geroux, Brian Lynch)
  • Buttercream Babe (John Velazquez, Rusty Arnold II)
  • Time to Dazzle (Jose Ortiz, Mark Casse)
  • Creed’s Gold (Flavien Prat, Mark Casse)
  • Queen Maxima (Juan Hernandez, Jeff Mullins)
  • Shisospicy (Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose D’Angelo)
  • Haulin Ice (Francisco Arrieta, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
  • Moon Spun (Javier Castellano, Brian Lynch)
  • Shoot It True (Joel Rosario, Wesley Ward)

BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF WINNER GEZORA (FR) HEADLINES MODESTY FIELD OF 10 – Peter Brant’s Gezora (FR), winner of last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at Del Mar, headlines a field of nine for the 68th running of the $500,000 Modesty (GIII) Presented by Veritas Prime for fillies and mares going a mile and an eighth on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

The Modesty is scheduled as the day’s 10th race with a 6:01 p.m. post time.

Now trained by Chad Brown, Gezora is a four-time Group or Grade 1 winner. She will be ridden Friday by Flavien Prat from post 6.

The field for the Modesty (with jockey, trainer):

  • Ramsey Pond (Luis Saez, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
  • Proctor Street (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
  • Whiskey Decision (Irad Ortiz Jr., Chad Brown)
  • Stylish Sue (Jaime Torres, Joe Sharp)
  • Kathrynmarissa (Jose Ortiz, Chad Brown)
  • Gezora (FR) (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
  • Dona Clota (CHI) (John Velazquez, Saffie Joseph Jr)
  • Pin Up Betty (Juan Hernandez, Mike Maker)
  • Adrasteia (Kazushi Kimura, Fergus Bogle)
  • Queens Command (IRE) (Dylan Davis, Joe Sharp)

ABOUT CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK

Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world’s most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The saddling paddock and the stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com.