On Saturday, January 18, two listed races with Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) implications took place. The first was the 9-furlong Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct, which was won by Running Away. The other, the Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday Stakes at the Fair Grounds, was contested at a mile and 70 yards and was won by Simply Joking. Both races offered points toward the Kentucky Oaks on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale, and both were won in gate-to-wire fashion by improving fillies with interesting backgrounds.
Running Away struck first. After notching a record of 1-1-1-0 in three maiden special weight events at 2, the filly had no difficulty in capturing her stakes debut for breeder-owner Stud TNT and trainer Wesley Ward. Her profile thus far shows steady improvement, and there is no reason to think that her ceiling has been reached yet.
Sired by Gun Runner, Running Away is the seventh foal out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Allez Marie, who has previously produced stakes winners Workaholic (by Sky Mesa) and Legalize (by Constitution), as well as stakes-placed runners Tomato Bill and Fouette. The mare’s most recent foal is a 2024 colt by Munnings that went for US$320,000 to Three Chimneys Farm at the Fasig-Tipton December Digital sale. At the same sale, Allez Marie herself, in foal to Elite Power, was sold for a sale-topping US$750,000, also to Three Chimneys.
Allez Marie was Group 3-placed over 1600 meters in Brazil. She is one of two stakes-placed runners and eight winners produced from 2005 Kentucky Oaks winner Summerly. A daughter of Summer Squall out of the Grade 3-placed Mr. Prospector mare Here I Go, Summerly took the New Orleans route to the 2005 Oaks, winning the Silverbulletday Stakes (then USA-G3) and the Fair Grounds Oaks (USA-G2) on her way to the lilies. She was winless after the Kentucky Oaks, and Allez Marie is the only one of her daughters to produce a stakes winner thus far. Summerly has other, younger daughters still early in their producing careers, however, so her story as a broodmare is only partially completed.
On speed figures, Silverbulletday winner Simply Joking had the better of it (91 vs. 87 on Equibase), though figures posted in January often enough bear only a shaky relationship to positions at the finish in the Oaks four months later. Still, the filly’s record thus far can hardly be faulted: she has started twice, both times in stakes company, and has come back with two wins despite bumping the gate and running quite greenly in her debut, the Letellier Memorial Stakes on December 21. Her performance in the Silverbulletday was smoother, though still showing signs of immaturity, and provided something of a measuring rod as to how she stacks up against co-owner Grantley Acres’ other budding star, unbeaten Her Laugh (another daughter of Practical Joke), who on December 21 won the Untapable Stakes by 2½ lengths over Golden Gamble over the same track and distance as the Silverbulletday. Simply Joking left Golden Gamble 6½ lengths behind her on Saturday.
Sired by multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke, Simply Joking is a half sister to last year’s Jerome Stakes winner, Drum Roll Please (by Hard Spun), who placed in the 2023 Remsen Stakes (USA-G2) as a juvenile, and to a yearling filly by Uncle Mo. Their dam, Imply (by multiple Grade 2 winner E Dubai, by Mr. Prospector), won seven stakes races against Pennsylvania-bred competition and is a half sister to graded-placed stakes winners Dancinginthecircle (by Divine Park) and Drop a Hint (by Into Mischief) and to restricted stakes winner Advert (by Lonhro). Imply, in turn, is out of stake-placed Allude (by Orientate), whose dam Ed’s Holy Cow (by multiple Grade 2 winner Bet Big) is a winning half sister to 1994 Horse of the Year Holy Bull.
How far Running Away and Simply Joking will get along the Lily Lane to the Kentucky Oaks is anyone’s guess as yet. Most likely, given Wesley Ward’s preference for his home base in Kentucky, Running Away may head there next with the Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) at Keeneland tentatively penciled in as her stepping stone to the Oaks. Simply Joking may stay in New Orleans for the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (USA-G2) on February 15, or trainer Whit Beckman may seek another target for her if it seems that Her Laugh will be better suited for the Rachel Alexandra given the timing and the two fillies’ progression. Either way, both Running Away and Simply Joking are already showing that they can be useful runners and have pedigrees suggesting the possibility that they can be something more, and their connections can hardly be blamed if their dreams are touched with a scent of lilies.
Running Away struck first. After notching a record of 1-1-1-0 in three maiden special weight events at 2, the filly had no difficulty in capturing her stakes debut for breeder-owner Stud TNT and trainer Wesley Ward. Her profile thus far shows steady improvement, and there is no reason to think that her ceiling has been reached yet.
Sired by Gun Runner, Running Away is the seventh foal out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Allez Marie, who has previously produced stakes winners Workaholic (by Sky Mesa) and Legalize (by Constitution), as well as stakes-placed runners Tomato Bill and Fouette. The mare’s most recent foal is a 2024 colt by Munnings that went for US$320,000 to Three Chimneys Farm at the Fasig-Tipton December Digital sale. At the same sale, Allez Marie herself, in foal to Elite Power, was sold for a sale-topping US$750,000, also to Three Chimneys.
Allez Marie was Group 3-placed over 1600 meters in Brazil. She is one of two stakes-placed runners and eight winners produced from 2005 Kentucky Oaks winner Summerly. A daughter of Summer Squall out of the Grade 3-placed Mr. Prospector mare Here I Go, Summerly took the New Orleans route to the 2005 Oaks, winning the Silverbulletday Stakes (then USA-G3) and the Fair Grounds Oaks (USA-G2) on her way to the lilies. She was winless after the Kentucky Oaks, and Allez Marie is the only one of her daughters to produce a stakes winner thus far. Summerly has other, younger daughters still early in their producing careers, however, so her story as a broodmare is only partially completed.
On speed figures, Silverbulletday winner Simply Joking had the better of it (91 vs. 87 on Equibase), though figures posted in January often enough bear only a shaky relationship to positions at the finish in the Oaks four months later. Still, the filly’s record thus far can hardly be faulted: she has started twice, both times in stakes company, and has come back with two wins despite bumping the gate and running quite greenly in her debut, the Letellier Memorial Stakes on December 21. Her performance in the Silverbulletday was smoother, though still showing signs of immaturity, and provided something of a measuring rod as to how she stacks up against co-owner Grantley Acres’ other budding star, unbeaten Her Laugh (another daughter of Practical Joke), who on December 21 won the Untapable Stakes by 2½ lengths over Golden Gamble over the same track and distance as the Silverbulletday. Simply Joking left Golden Gamble 6½ lengths behind her on Saturday.
Sired by multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke, Simply Joking is a half sister to last year’s Jerome Stakes winner, Drum Roll Please (by Hard Spun), who placed in the 2023 Remsen Stakes (USA-G2) as a juvenile, and to a yearling filly by Uncle Mo. Their dam, Imply (by multiple Grade 2 winner E Dubai, by Mr. Prospector), won seven stakes races against Pennsylvania-bred competition and is a half sister to graded-placed stakes winners Dancinginthecircle (by Divine Park) and Drop a Hint (by Into Mischief) and to restricted stakes winner Advert (by Lonhro). Imply, in turn, is out of stake-placed Allude (by Orientate), whose dam Ed’s Holy Cow (by multiple Grade 2 winner Bet Big) is a winning half sister to 1994 Horse of the Year Holy Bull.
How far Running Away and Simply Joking will get along the Lily Lane to the Kentucky Oaks is anyone’s guess as yet. Most likely, given Wesley Ward’s preference for his home base in Kentucky, Running Away may head there next with the Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) at Keeneland tentatively penciled in as her stepping stone to the Oaks. Simply Joking may stay in New Orleans for the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (USA-G2) on February 15, or trainer Whit Beckman may seek another target for her if it seems that Her Laugh will be better suited for the Rachel Alexandra given the timing and the two fillies’ progression. Either way, both Running Away and Simply Joking are already showing that they can be useful runners and have pedigrees suggesting the possibility that they can be something more, and their connections can hardly be blamed if their dreams are touched with a scent of lilies.
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