HRN: 2014 Kentucky Oaks Contender: Onlyforyou

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

2014 Kentucky Oaks Contender: Onlyforyou

For the first time, my Derby Hopefuls will be reaching the pages of Horse Racing Nation rather than the original Past the Grandstand. Oaks Contenders feature the fillies I view as the best contenders leading up to the Kentucky Oaks. Each horse spotlighted in an Oaks Contender will join the 2014 PTG Oaks Contender roster, found on the right side of the blog. Horses will be listed in an order that corresponds to how highly I think of them, with the horse I think most highly of ranking at the top. A horse featured in an Oaks Contender may be taken off the roster if its performances after its article are published are not up to par or if that horse is taken off the Oaks trail, though those articles will remain on my blog.


"When I was fourteen, I discovered a love for Thoroughbred sales. The thrill of choosing a horse from a sale and later watching as it finds success is extraordinary, leaving me to become enthralled with the art of “discovering” a talented horse before its career begins. This led me to make selections from various sales and follow those picks as they blossomed into racehorses, whether they were withdrawn from their respective auctions or not.

Putting pedigree and conformation, as well as movement and potential displayed in breeze shows for juvenile sales, into consideration, I have assembled an army of promising young horses. Among those horses is Onlyforyou, who caught my attention with her athleticism while breezing prior to the 2013 Keeneland April Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. Since then, Onlyforyou has transformed into a talented racehorse who has made a mark on the Kentucky Oaks trail. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

After the Auction: Onlyforyou

As an avid fan of sales with possible aspirations to become an adviser/bloodstock agent, auctions are one of my favorite topics to write about on Past the Grandstand. “After the Auctions” feature horses I selected in sales that have found success after the sale. These posts are generally just brief overviews of these horses’ racing records and pedigrees.

UPDATE 1/25/14: Congratulations to Onlyforyou on winning the Forward Gal Stakes (GII)!
UPDATE 2/22/14: Congratulations to Onlyforyou on winning the Davona Dale Stakes (GII)!

Selected by Mary Cage from the 2013 Keeneland April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale as hip 53 – Declared out of sale

Debuting at Aqueduct on November 10, 2013, Onlyforyou prompted the pace from the outside during the early stages of the six-furlong maiden special weight on the dirt. Once the bay filly took the lead, she never looked back, kicking clear to break her maiden by 2 ¼ lengths.

A month later, after joining Todd Pletcher’s Florida string, Onlyforyou faced winners for the first time in an allowance optional claiming at Gulfstream Park. Again going six furlongs, the Glencrest Farm-owned filly again pressed the brisk pace, tracking the leaders from the inside. Gaining ground on the two fillies ahead of her around the far turn, Onlyforyou became boxed in as the field approached the quarter pole.

However, an opening arose, allowing Javier Castellano to angle the Malibu Moon filly to the outside, where she grew even with the leader entering the homestretch. Kicking clear within the final furlong, Onlyforyou drew off to win by a widening 3 ½ lengths.

Pedigree Analysis

Onlyforyou is a daughter of Malibu Moon, the sire of 2013 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Orb, as well as the additional grade one winners Ask the Moon, Declan’s Moon, Devil May Care, Eden’s Moon, Funny Moon, Life At Ten, Malibu Mint, and Malibu Prayer. Malibu Moon is not the only son of A.P. Indy to have great success at stud; others include Bernardini, Mineshaft, Pulpit, and Stephen Got Even.

Onlyforyou’s dam, Erhu, is a daughter of a grade one-winning son of Storm Cat in Tactical Cat. This A.P. Indy/Storm Cat sire line cross has been incredibly successful, producing the grade one winners Dialed In, Eden’s Moon, Ice Box, It’s Tricky, Love and Pride, Mi Sueno, Overbrook, Princess of Sylmar, Sky Mesa, Turbulent Descent, and Wickedly Perfect.

The third dam of Onlyforyou, Great Finesse, is the dam of the stakes winners Glaring, Great Escape, Val d’Enchere, and Wavelength, as well as the stakes-placed Paragram. Through this dam line, Onlyforyou traces back to the Reine De Course mare Herodias, who can also be found in the tail female line of the Hall of Fame champion Skip Away, Epsom Derby (gr. I) and Irish Derby (gr. I) victor Commander in Chief, multiple group one winner Warning, and the legendary broodmare sire Prince John.

Onlyforyou is full of promise and looks to take the three-year-old filly division by storm. Her pedigree suggests that she can extend beyond six furlongs with success and should her connections choose to take that route, it will be exciting to see how she carries her brilliance to new levels.