Oujda will be a short-priced favorite in the featured third race Thursday at Keeneland, but will this 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint be too short for Oujda?
The French-bred mare, who was imported to the United States from Ireland after Woodford Thoroughbreds bought her at a December 2024 auction for just less than $1 million, won the Aug. 2 Sweet Briar Too Stakes at Woodbine in her first start outside Europe, but that race came over six furlongs, as short as Oujda ever has raced.
Based in France for her one start in 2022, for all of 2023, and part of 2024, Oujda, a mountain of a mare, campaigned as a seven- or eight-furlong horse, but after moving to trainer John Murtagh in Ireland, Oujda focused on six-furlong sprints and reached new heights. Her purchase came after Oujda turned in a career-best performance, capturing a Group 3 over a straight six furlongs at Chantilly.
In the Sweet Briar Too, Oujda had no trouble keeping up, sitting a couple lengths behind the leaders while racing in midpack. She rallied to the lead in the homestretch while failing to change leads, finally doing so in the last 50 yards or so and finishing with a burst. Oujda figured to suit the 6 1/2-furlong Ladies Turf Sprint on Aug. 30 at Kentucky Downs – but didn’t. Aside from facing the highest-class competition of her career – winner Ag Bullet will be one of the top choices in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and runner-up Simply In Front returned to land the Grade 1 First Lady – Oujda simply didn’t fire. Once again, Oujda showed positional pace and at the head of the long Kentucky Downs homestretch remained in contention but had no spark for the stretch run and faded to ninth.
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Oujda goes for the team of trainer Will Walden and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who partnered to win the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile on opening weekend with leading Breeders’ Cup Mile hope Rhetorical. With 18 winners through the Oct. 19 card, leading the jockey standings, Ortiz sits three wins from hitting his highest mark at a Keeneland meet.
While Ortiz had a good last racing week at Keeneland, favorites did not, going 10 for 46, 22 percent, and lowering the favorites strike rate at this meet to a low 29 percent. Turf-sprint favorites have gone 2 for 14 at Keeneland in October.
Twirling Queen presents such an obvious alternative to Oujda that her win odds won’t hold appeal. The likely leader, Twirling Queen won 5 of 7 starts during 2024, but since her victory in the Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, Twirling Queen has lost five in a row.
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