Bless the Broken rallied four wide in the far turn to seize the lead in early stretch and then held off a late charge from As Catch Can to win the $280,000 Bourbonette Oaks March 22 at Turfway Park.
With the 2 3/4-length win, Bless the Broken earned 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
The grade 2-placed daughter of Laoban secured the first stakes win of her career for owners Cypress Creek Equine and Madaket Stables. The effort marked the first start on an all-weather surface for Bless the Broken as her connections opted for this race over Saturday’s Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), where she was cross-entered.
Bless the Broken and jockey John Velazquez rated off the pace early as White Rocks , the second choice off her win in the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes Feb. 21 at Turfway, led through a quarter-mile in :24.24 and a half-mile in :49.02 while pursued by Bracelet and Admit . As the latter two challenged the front-runner in the far turn, Bless the Broken unleashed her winning move on the outside.
Trained by Will Walden, Bless the Broken paid $15.18, $7.94, and $5.36 across the board. Admit held third, a neck behind runner-up As Catch Can. The top five finishers earned Road to the Kentucky Oaks points on a 50-25-15-10-5 schedule (Bracelet was fourth and White Rocks fifth).
