Cleber J. Massey’s Blamed pulled away to a 6 1/4-length triumph on Sunday in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks under jockey Ken Tohill.
The bay daughter of Blame tracked in second outside of Kram through splits of :23.76, :47.74 and 1:11.62. Rounding the final turn, Blamed ranged up to run in tandem with Kram before inching clear upon hitting the stretch. Tohill sat chilly throughout the lane as Blamed extended her margin with every stride, cruising under the wire in a final time of 1:43.32 for 1 1/16 miles over Sunland Park’s fast dirt.
Sent off the 2-5 favorite, Blamed paid $2.80 for earning her fifth straight victory. She also took home 50 points toward a starting berth in the May 4 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
The Sunland Park Oaks is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series of points races and offered up 50-20-10-5 points to the respective top four finishers. However, like the rest of Saturday’s field, the sophomore lass currently isn’t nominated to the Run for the Lilies.
Kram was best of the rest, eight lengths up on Charge Back who in turn had three parts of a length to spare on Bella Be Ready. Exotic Beauty brought up the rear of the five-filly field.
Blamed improved her career mark to 6-5-1-0, $241,260 with this win. After finishing second in her debut at Zia Park last September 11, the Joel Marr trainee began her current win streak with a 9 1/2-length wire job in a six-furlong maiden at that track. She next captured a 5 1/2-furlong allowance at Zia by 3 3/4 lengths in front-running fashion to close out her juvenile campaign.
Making her three-year-old, and Sunland Park, bow on January 28, Blamed continued her front-running ways with a 4 1/2-length score in the El Paso Times Stakes. The bay miss entered the Sunland Park Oaks off a 6 1/2-length wire job over the track in the Island Fashion Stakes, and broke with her usual style when tracking the pace on Sunday rather than setting it.
Bred in Maryland by Sagamore Farm, Blamed is out of the listed-placed Giant’s Causeway mare Salsa Star, making her a half-sister to stakes runner-up Chubby Star. Salsa Star is herself a half-sibling to dual Grade 3 victor Pacific Ocean.
Blamed’s fourth dam is Grade 1 queen Dance Number, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-scoring leading sire Private Account and dam of champion Rhythm.
