Kentucky Downs near the Tennessee border hosts its last big bucks race of the turf meet from the Franklin, KY track with the $2,000,000 Grade III Dueling Grounds Oaks on Wednesday, September 10. That massive prize purse attracts a dozen runners to the Commonwealth including Fionn.
Using the same 2,100m course and distance as the Nashville Derby earlier in the meet, Brad Cox’s smart filly by Twirling Candy concedes a 4lb penalty to the entire field for her prior Grade I success in the Belmont Oaks on July 5. Fionn needed every yard of the nine-furlong trip and got up on the wire, reversing Appalachian Stakes form with Nitrogen at Saratoga.
Kentucky Downs runners have found it difficult to build on their displays from the Spa over the summer at this meet, but a two-month break from the track may help in this case. All the leading Belmont Stakes racebooks favored Nitrogen over Fionn when last in action, yet she’s now the clear pick on the Morning Line down in grade and up in distance.
One major difference between the Belmont Oaks and Dueling Grounds Oaks, however, is weight carried. Fionn may well prove herself capable of giving it and a beating to her 11 rivals, but there are four other last time out winners in the line-up to consider. Each of these jumps from Gates at either end of the draw with only the favorite in the middle.
Cox won this in 2021 with Godolphin filly Adventuring, but the barn also has another bullet to fire besides Fionn in this edition. More on her later. Not to be outdone, George Arnold saddles three. There’s also representation from the Wesley Ward and Mark Casse barns in the field.
Destino d’Oro Gives Cox a Strong Hand
While Fionn sets the form standard with her graded successes in the Regret Stakes around Churchill Downs and Belmont Oaks from Saratoga, Cox’s other runner Destino d’Oro impressed last time. This daughter of Bolt d’Oro surged over three lengths clear in the Grade III Pucker Up Stakes at Ellis Park and won here as a juvenile.
Destino d’Oro also shaped nicely when just failing to land the Jessamine Stakes around Keeneland last fall. Everything about her runs suggests she’s a major player in the Dueling Grounds Oaks and she meets a number of Ellis Park rivals again now. If using Pucker Up second Hereforagoodtime as a form marker, Destino d’Oro may have the beating of Fionn at these weights.
Nothing else came out of the pack at Ellis Park. Admit held every chance turning in to the home stretch, yet crossed the wire in third behind Cox and Brendan Walsh’s fillies. She does have interesting prior dirt form, which ties her in with the Kentucky Oaks third and Acorn Stakes fourth. The others who re-oppose, Nosleeptilbrooklyn, Fixin To Bee and Princess Attitude, were way down the field in seventh, eighth and ninth.
There’s no obvious reason why any of those also rans from the Pucker Up should have any say in the finish now. Victoria Oliver books Frankie Dettori for the ride on Princess Attitude and, as she’s by Frankel, may improve for stepping up 300m in distance. Her prior Listed second behind subsequent Del Mar Oaks runner-up Lush Lips isn’t a bad piece of form. Hereforagoodtime was the only one making anything that remotely looked like progress on Destino d’Oro, though.
Candy Quest, Daisy Flyer, Running Away Other Dueling Grounds Oaks Hopefuls
If Cox doesn’t saddle the winner, then oddsmakers believe she’ll be another last time out victor. Candy Quest runs for Casse, who warmed up for this with a Grade III success in Canada over a mile. It isn’t so much that latest effort from the daughter of Connect, but her prior performances behind Laurelin and Opulent Restraint in Listed company.
Candy Quest missed the show in the Memories Of Silver Stakes, but improved on that with a good second in the Penn Oaks. The winner of both went on to land the Saratoga Oaks with Arnold’s Totally Justified back in fifth, while the Aqueduct runner-up made the show in the Belmont Oaks and again finished behind Laurelin at the Spa. It’s collateral form that ties Candy Quest in with Fionn.
Daisy Flyer looks the pick of the Arnold trio, meanwhile, following her win in the Grade III Lake George Stakes around Saratoga. This Mshawish filly prevailed in a three-way finish over Classic Q and re-opposing third Reining Flowers with about a neck separating the trio. The runner-up wasn’t disgraced when dropping back in distance and just missing the show behind Shisospicy in the Music City Stakes here on Saturday.
Reining Flowers, meanwhile, has since finishing fourth in the Grade II Lake Placid at Saratoga to May Day Ready. John Ortiz’s daughter of Midnight Storm was third in the Penn Oaks just behind Candy Quest prior to the Lake George. She’s thus a Dueling Grounds Oaks longshot with a squeak after closing deep at the Spa.
Keeneland trainer Ward found the Grade I Ashland Stakes at his local course too hot for Running Away in the spring, but she’s won her next two starts. They include the Monmouth Oaks on the dirt, but arrives here a maiden on turf.
Dueling Grounds Oaks 2025 Post Positions Draw & Morning Line Odds
- Daisy Flyer (120lbs) – 6-1
- Destino d’Oro (120lbs) – 9-2
- Nosleeptilbrooklyn (120lbs) – 30-1
- Princess Attitude (120lbs) – 20-1
- Running Away (120lbs) – 10-1
- Reining Flowers (120lbs) – 15-1
- Fionn (124lbs) – 2-1 fav
- Admit (120lbs) – 20-1
- Fixin To Bee (120lbs) – 30-1
- Hereforagoodtime (120lbs) – 12-1
- Totally Justified (120lbs) – 15-1
- Candy Quest (120lbs) – 5-1
Our Handicapper’s Verdict
While Fionn is the class act in the line-up, preference at these weights is for her barn buddy Destino d’Oro, who looked good in the Pucker Up. There are obvious cases for Candy Quest and Daisy Flyer making the show but, given how Saratoga winners have performed at Kentucky Downs this year, it might be the former who is most solid.
From the longshots, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Hereforagoodtime got closer to the selection over another 300m. Also worth a mention is Reinin Flowers, who has just a neck to find with Daisy Flyer on her Lake George run but a bit more with Candy Quest. Chances are the Brad Cox barn wins this for a second time, though.
WATCH: Daisy Flyer & Reining Flowers in the Lake George Stakes
