2023 Jockey Club Oaks Preview

The Jockey Club Oaks Invitational is the third and final race of the fillies’ version of the New York Turf Triple, following the Belmont Oaks (G1) and the Saratoga Oaks (G3). The Saratoga Oaks is one of the newest races on the horse racing calendar, inaugurated in 2019 and being run for just the fourth time this year. Though it is still only a Grade 3, it offers a purse of $350,000, large for a race of that level. And, its short list of winners includes both Shantisara and McKulick, Grade 1 winners in their own right.

The 1 ⅜-mile grass race drew a field of seven sophomore fillies, an intriguing mix of proven stakes runners and newer faces trying to make an impact in the sophomore filly division on the lawn. In fact, all but one of the runners is new to the Turf Triple. This makes the race an exciting betting opportunity for the opening weekend of the Belmont at the Big A horse racing meet!

2023 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 16
• Track: Aqueduct Race Track (at the Belmont at the Big A meet, since Belmont Park is under construction)
• Post Time: 5:21 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ⅜ miles on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: TVG.com, Fox Sports
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Jockey Club Oaks Draw and Odds

These are the entrants for the race, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Jockey Club Oaks Prep Race Results

The seven runners in the Jockey Club Oaks come out of six different races. Four come out of stakes races, each out of different ones. Neecie Marie is the only last-out stakes winner; she beat fellow Pennsylvania-breds in the Mrs. Penny at Parx last month. Speirling Beag was most recently second in the Searching at Laurel, Eternal Hope was third in the Prix Alec Head (G2) at Deauville, and Last Call was fourth in the Dueling Grounds Oaks in her last start.

The other three come out of allowance company. Quarrel won a first-level allowance on the inner turf at Saratoga on September 1, a race in which Stephanie’s Charm followed her home for fourth. Highland Grace has been on the shelf since winning a first-level allowance at Belmont Park on July 4.

Jockey Club Oaks Contenders

These are the nine runners in the 2023 Jockey Club Oaks, in order of their post position.

1. Last Call: A top-level winner at Woodbine as a juvenile, she has yet to win since the Natalma (G1) a year ago. She hit the board in a pair of shorter listed races at Woodbine earlier this year, though she ran on well enough in the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs last out to think this try at 1 ⅜ miles is an interesting one. She has been able to run well within a few lengths of the pace or closing, and though a win may be too much to ask, a piece of the exotics is within her abilities.
2. Quarrel: She has tried a range of distances during her career, but both of her wins have come going 1 1/16 miles, the longest distance she has tried to date. She set the early pace last out, though she won a maiden special weight last fall from a stalking spot, meaning she has good versatility for a short field. Her pedigree suggests that 1 ⅜ miles may be near the outer limits of her stamina, but if she handles it enough to show improvement second off the lay, she intrigues.
3. Neecie Marie: She may be the only last-out stakes winner in the field, but all of her races have come against easier company on the mid-Atlantic circuit, including a state-bred stakes win last out. With dry weather this week, she should get the firmer ground that she handles well, and she has shown the versatility to run from either pressing the pace or closing from way back. She is a wild card, in short: her tries on firmer ground are fast enough to deserve a shot here, and her trainer, Robert Reid, can upset in graded company, but make sure to demand a high price if you want to gamble because she has class questions.
4. Stephanie’s Charm: If it were just her last-out race, she would deserve a mulligan; after clipping heels early, it’s hard to hold a fourth-place finish against her. But, she has disappointed in her last several starts, and has not hit the board in her last six races, since a second in the Ginger Brew in January. At this point, it seems like she hasn’t quite kept pace with her better peers, and there is no compelling reason to think she wakes up this time.
5. Highland Grace: She is the only horse in this field who has tried the 1 ⅜-mile distance of this race—and she hasn’t just tried it, but she broke her maiden at the trip back in June. She did that against older horses, and cleared her first-level allowance condition at 1 ¼ miles against older in her very next start. The layoff is a question; she has not run since that allowance win on July 4. However, trainer Barclay Tagg tends to have his horses fit and strong after a lay, and she has shown enough versatility in her two wins to suggest she can carve out a trip.
6. Eternal Hope: Charlie Appleby isn’t just shipping to Woodbine this weekend; he sends Eternal Hope out for her first stateside start here. She has yet to win on the grass: both of her wins have come over all-weather, though they came at 1 ¼ and 1 ½ miles—so, stamina is not a question. She ran a credible third in the Prix Alec Head last out at Deauville as well; that race has graded out well, since second-place Lumiere Rock came back to win a Group 2 at the Curragh next out. She has tactical speed, though the question is whether she can track in range of American speed and keep going. Chances are good that she can, though, since she’s just the right level of European class to fit, and she should like the firm going.
7. Speirling Beag: The only horse in the Jockey Club Oaks field who has run in any of the other races in New York’s turf tiara, she was sixth in the Belmont Oaks (G1) two starts back but lost by only 2 ¾ lengths after a slow break in that race, her North American debut. She returned next out in the Searching at Laurel on August 13, where she was bet to odds-on but missed by a nose. She should be able to get a clean trip from the outside in a relatively short field, and is perhaps the best-bred in the field for this mile and three-eighths. She would be best served by a hot pace, however, which is unlikely.

Jockey Club Oaks FAQ

Q: When and where is the 2023 Jockey Club Oaks?

A: The race happens on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 5:21 p.m. Eastern Daylight time. The race is the ninth and featured race on the ten-race card at Aqueduct. The race is traditionally run at Belmont Park, though with the construction there, it is currently part of the Belmont at the Big A meet. The race is the fillies’ complement of the Jockey Club Derby (G3), which will be run on October 7.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Jockey Club Oaks?

A: Chad Brown has won two of the three editions of the Jockey Club Oaks with Shantisara (2021) and McKulick (2022). He does not have an entrant this year; any trainer who won would be winning the race for the first time.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Jockey Club Oaks?

A: Eternal Hope is the even-money favorite on the morning line for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey Jamie Spencer. She comes into the race off of a third-place finish in a Group 2 at Deauville. And, even though Appleby has yet to win this race, he has shipped horses like Modern Games, Nations Pride, and Rebel’s Romance to win major North American turf prizes at the Breeders’ Cup, the NYRA circuit, and beyond.

Q: Who is the best Jockey Club Oaks jockey?

A: Jockey Flavien Prat has won this race twice, with both Edisa (2019) and Shantisara (2021). He does not ride in it this year. However, Irad Ortiz is the only other jockey who has won this before, and he has the leg up on Last Call this year.

Q: Who won the Jockey Club Oaks in 2022?

A: McKulick won the 2022 edition for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Irad Ortiz last year. Brown has no entrant this year, but Ortiz rides Last Call in 2023.