Super Corredora, last year's champion 2-year-old filly, will miss the April 4 Santa Anita Oaks (G2) after getting sick earlier this week, trainer John Sadler said.
"She had a fever, and we have to wait for her to get over that," Sadler said. "The Oaks is out."
Super Corredora last year won the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar in a performance that followed a maiden win and led to her earning an Eclipse Award as outstanding 2-year-old filly. She is 2-1-0 in six overall starts with earnings of more than $1.1 million.
In two post-Breeders' Cup starts this year, the daughter of Gun Runner has faltered. In the 1-mile Las Virgenes Stakes Feb. 8, Super Corredora raced up on a lively pace before weakening in the stretch to finish last in a four-horse field. Then in the March 8 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) going 1 1/16 miles, Super Corredora lost all chance at the start when she threw her head and hopped, spotting the field multiple lengths. She finished sixth.
Super Corredora, owned by Spartan Equine Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Robert Gardiner, and Michael Olszewski, currently has 34 qualifying points toward the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, placing 11th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard. Even if she were to quickly recover from her fever, her chances of making the country's most prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies are unfavorable if she does not start again before the race. Other fillies are likely to surpass her qualifying point total in prep races in the coming weeks, and the Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters, with preference given to the fillies with the most points.
The winner of the Las Virgenes, Meaning, remains on target for the Santa Anita Oaks after skipping the Santa Ysabel, trainer Michael McCarthy said. Another daughter of Gun Runner, she worked 5 furlongs March 20 in 1:00 1/5.
"Nice work. We're on track for the Oaks," McCarthy said.
Meaning won the Las Virgenes by 1 1/2 lengths over runner-up Explora, the odds-on favorite who came back to win the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park earlier this month. The latter returned to Santa Anita Park and breezed five-eighths March 20 at Santa Anita in 1:01 2/5 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. She is atop the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 95 points.
Prior to winning the Las Virgenes, Meaning finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies when making just her second start and first around two turns. She races for Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. She has 26 qualifying points on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard, ranking 16th. Explora is entered in the $1 million Fantasy Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn March 27.
If the 1 1/16-mile Santa Anita Oaks goes to post with six or more fillies, the $200,000 race will offer points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale to its top five finishers.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
