LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There was no resting on their lilies Saturday morning for the Lukas camp. Less than 12 hours after Secret Oath gave him a record-tying fifth victory in the Kentucky Oaks, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was on his stable pony in the dark, escorting sets to the track.

Lukas, 86, said that Secret Oath emerged from her two-length victory in the Oaks, which earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure, in good order.

Epicenter and Taiba were vying for favoritism in early Kentucky Derby betting as of 7:30 p.m. Friday.  

Epicenter and Taiba both were 5-1, while Messier and Mo Donegal were 7-1 and morning-line favorite Zandon was 8-1.

Wagers on the Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double will pay the following for a $1 bet.

Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (No. 1, $10.80) with:

1 Mo Donegal – $51

2 Happy Jack – $622

3 Epicenter – $25

4 Summer Is Tomorrow – $511

5 Smile Happy – $97

6 Messier – $40

7 Crown Pride – $96

8 Charge It – $67

9 Tiz the Bomb – $238

10 Zandon – $36

11 Pioneer of Medina – $534

12 Taiba – $32

13 Simplification – $201

14 Barber Road – $329

15 White Abarrio – $79

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Remember yesterday when the meteorologists were telling us Churchill Downs could get more than 1 1/2 inches of rain? Yeah? No. We’ve had a couple passing showers but the main track remains fast, the turf firm with seven races in the books on Kentucky Oaks Day.

There’s still a chance for some rain over the next few hours but nothing like what was forecast; the storm cells are widely scattered and it’s hard to predict if any will pass over the track.

The $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs scheduled for Sunday at Santa Anita failed to draw sufficient entries and was canceled.

The Barrera was intended as the stakes debut for High Connection, the 10-length winner of a maiden special weight race at 6 1/2 furlongs in his debut on March 26. At the time, High Connection was trained by Bob Baffert, who is serving a 90-day suspension for a medication violation found in a post-race test taken from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.

California jockey Diego Herrera turned 18 on Wednesday and the upstart rider is well aware of what he might be doing on his birthday as soon as 2023.

Could there be a better birthday present than a Kentucky Derby mount, or even a win?

“That would be fun to ride,” Herrera said on Friday. “Hopefully I can find a good 2-year-old that can take me to the first Saturday in May.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Loves Only You surged late, overtook favored War Like Goddess, and won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf last Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Her victory marked a breakthrough, the first for a Japanese horse in a Breeders’ Cup race. That happened at 2 o’clock. Two hours later, Marche Lorraine, a 50-1 shot, held on by a nose to capture the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Make that two Breeders’ Cup wins for Japan – in one day.

Five weeks later in Hong Kong, Loves Only You won the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup and another Japanese horse, Glory Vase, won the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It was the calm before the storm – literally – for the fillies of the Kentucky Oaks as race day dawned on Churchill Downs. 

Only one of the entrants, Bourbonette Oaks winner Candy Raid, was out for a gallop on the sealed track Friday morning, some 11 hours before post time. The rest of the field walked their respective shed rows, as is the standard practice for many trainers on race day. 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jockey Flavien Prat’s lone victory in the Kentucky Derby didn’t come with the typical fanfare associated with such an achievement.

In 2019, Prat was the rider of Country House, who crossed the wire second, 1 3/4 lengths behind Maximum Security. After a 22-minute inquiry, the stewards disqualified Maximum Security from first for interference and Country House was elevated to first.

“It’s a hard way to win,” Prat said recently on the Churchill Downs backside. “I’m pretty sure it’s not the same feeling as crossing the line first, that’s for sure.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Amr Zedan walked out of Churchill Downs one year ago as the winning owner of the Kentucky Derby, his Medina Spirit having crossed the wire first. He’ll walk back in on Saturday trying to win the Derby with Taiba, as an odyssey that has included extreme highs and crushing lows continues to play out.