Cathryn Sophia wins Kentucky Oaks

Cathryn Sophia avenged her only loss with a dominating victory in Friday's $1 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Cathryn Sophia, ridden by Javier Castellano, stayed comfortably behind the early pace, came widest of all into the stretch and quickly put the issue to rest, coasting home 2 3/4 lengths in front of Land Over Sea. Lewis Bay finished third.

The bay filly, a daughter of Street Boss, ran 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.43, scoring her fifth win from six starts. Her only loss came four weeks earlier at Keeneland, when she finished third in the Grade I Ashland, behind Weep No More and Rachel's Valentina. Rachel's Valentina finished sixth and Weep No More seventh in the Oaks.

Trainer John Servis said he would not have run Cathryn Sophia in the Oaks were it not for a minor illness that forced pre-race favorite Songbird to bypass the race. "I just didn't think that would have been a smart move with my filly going the first time a mile and an eighth," he said. "We would have gone in another direction."

He later clarified that, adding, "I don't want to make it sound like we ran from Songbird because, if she would have won the Ashland, we would have certainly run in the Oaks with or without Songbird."

Castellano said he had no doubts that Cathryn Sophia could negotiate two turns, even though she didn't last after holding the lead at Keeneland the first time she tried it. "The question was, do you think she'll go that far," the rider said. She put that question to rest.

Cathryn Sophia was a $30,000 yearling purchase. She is owned by Cash Is King LLC, headed by Chuck Zacney. Servis won the Kentucky Derby with his only starter in that race, Smarty Jones, in 2004. This was his first Kentucky Oaks starter. "Oh my God, to have the Derby and Oaks on my resume, and to have only run one each time, it's fantastic," he said.