Plum Pretty gave Bob Baffert his second career Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 6 (VIDEO), taking command in the middle of the far turn and then holding off a late charge from St. John’s River to win the lion's share of the $1 million purse. Baffert won the 1999 Oaks with eventual 3-year-old filly champ Silverbulletday.

Plum Pretty, who entered the Oaks off a 25-length victory in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks on March 27, puts Baffert in position to become the third trainer to win the Kentucky Oaks and Derby in the same year and the first since Ben Jones accomplished the feat in 1952, who also did it in 1949. H.J. Thompson was the first to accomplish the feat in 1933. Baffert will send out Midnight Interlude in Saturday’s $2 million Kentucky Derby.

Summer Soiree opened a clear lead early and led the field of 13 through quick fractions of :23.65, :46.99 and 1:11.25 with Plum Pretty tracking in second for the six furlongs. On the far turn, winning jockey Martin Garcia sent Plum Pretty after Summer Soiree and took over quickly. She then held off a late charge by St. John’s River to win by a neck in a time of 1:49/50 for the 1 1/8 miles.   

Martin Garcia, who won the Grade 3 Alysheba earlier on the card for Baffert, summed up the win very succinctly. “Great trip. Great filly. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Baffert also was short and sweet. “That was awesome. We hoped she'd run like that. She thought she was at Sunland Park.”

Prior to the race, Baffert had said that he took his filly out of southern California to Sunland to get away from Zazu (who wound up third in the Kentucky Oaks). But after Plum Pretty's runaway Sunland score, he quipped that he should have run her in the $800,000 Sunland Derby.
 
Plum Pretty is a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, out of the A.P. Indy mare Liszy. The victory was worth $570,400 and increased Plum Pretty’s earnings to $761,200, with a record of 5-3-0-2.