Southlawn wins Fair Grounds Oaks

Jockey Reylu Gutierrez mounted his horse Southlawn on Saturday evening at the Fair Grounds with a chip on his shoulder.

Last year, Gutierrez lost the Fair Grounds Oaks by a nose. But this year, he, Southlawn and trainer Norm Casse finished first in the $400,000 Grade II race, earning 100 qualifying points and securing a spot in the Kentucky Oaks on May 5 in Louisville, Kentucky.

“She’s been training really well, since she won the Allowance race here last month,” Casse said. “Thought she’d run a really big race today, and she did, so we’re excited. A little redemption for (Gutierrez) and I’m happy for everybody.”

Southlawn, a 3-year-old filly with 81 odds, was slow out of the gates. For the first leg of the 1 1/16-mile race, she held the rear. She gained inside positioning by the halfway mark, and by the three-fourths mark, she vaulted near the leaders but still held fourth place. It wasn’t until the final furlong that Southlawn bounced outside, sprinted ahead and won by three lengths.

Pretty Mischievous, at 8-5 odds, finished second. And The Alys Look, a Brad Cox-trained filly with 2-1 odds, finished third.

With the win, Southlawn and Casse knocked off horses with trainers who had won the last three Fair Grounds Oaks. Hall of Fame trainer Steven Asmussen, whose horse Christian D’Oro eased up at 15-1 odds, won the 2022 race with Echo Zulu. And Cox took home the crown in both 2020 and 2021, with Bonny South and Travel Column, respectively.

Hoosier Philly, at 2-1, also eased up. After a disappointing finish in the Rachel Alexandria, the filly had 7-1 odds in the Kentucky Oaks futures wager pool.

Casse said Southlawn will run in the Kentucky Oaks as long as she responds well to Saturday's race.

“That would be a highlight of my life,” Casse said. “I’m born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. Other than the Kentucky Derby, the race I want to win more than anything is the Kentucky Oaks, and here we are. We got a chance.”