Churchill Downs officials confirmed Saturday that Shadwell Stable’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Muhimma will not compete in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks on May 2.
Trainer Brad Cox revealed the decision during a backstretch interview at Churchill Downs with Carlos Morales of Agentes 305.
“Muhimma will pass, we’ll kind of regroup,” Cox told Morales. “She ran well, but not as well as we were hoping.”
The $700,000 Keeneland September purchase had accumulated 50 points, placing her 12th on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard. Her withdrawal opens a spot in the 14-horse field for GII Gulfstream Park Oaks runner-up Anna’s Promise (Promises Fulfilled).
Muhimma, a gray filly by Munnings, had compiled a perfect three-for-three record as a juvenile. She earned her ‘Rising Star’ designation with an impressive victory over 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill last September, followed by a dominant 5 1/2-length allowance win at seven furlongs.
She capped her two-year-old campaign with a front-running triumph in the GII Demoiselle Stakes.
The filly’s three-year-old season has proven more challenging. She made her sophomore debut in the GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park on February 23, where she weakened late to finish third behind Quietside (Malibu Moon) as the odds-on favorite.
Most recently, Muhimma again finished third in Keeneland‘s GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes on April 7, trailing front-runner La Cara (Street Sense).
The connections have not yet announced alternative racing plans for the talented filly.
