Lemons Forever (47-1) Wins Oaks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  Lemons Forever, a 47-1 longshot, upset favored Balance in the $685,900 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, pulling the biggest upset in the history of the traditional race for 3-year-old fillies the day before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

A daughter of Lemon Drop Kid who had only $15,000 in graded-stakes earnings, Lemons Forever earned $400,000 after breaking from the far outside post and coming from last in the 14-horse field after half a mile to win in 1:50.07.

Before Friday, the highest winning odds were 40-1 on Lemco in 1903.

Balance, an 8-5 favorite after winning the Santa Anita Oaks and Las Virgenes at Santa Anita this year, never led before fading down the stretch to finish 11th.

Ermine was second by 1 1/2 lengths. Bushfire crossed the finish line third but was disqualified to sixth for interference in the stretch with Red Cherries Spin, and Wait A While was moved to third.

It was the second consecutive subpar performance for Balance, a Thunder Gulch filly trained by David Hofmans and ridden by Victor Espinoza, after finishing a distant third in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland last month.

“I guess [Espinoza] had a real rough trip going down the backside,” Hofmans said.

“He couldn’t get position and he just kept getting shut off. He said ... she just didn’t have enough to catch anybody.”

Said Espinoza: “She just wasn’t there today.”

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Barbaro was the 5-1 favorite in early Derby wagering on Friday.

Brother Derek, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, was 9-1, along with Lawyer Ron. Both drew post positions in the auxiliary gate.

Sweetnorthernsaint and Sinister Minister were 7-1 and Point Determined was 8-1.

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With undefeated Barbaro and lightly raced but undefeated Showing Up, Roy and Gretchen Jackson are the first owners in history to have two undefeated horses in the Kentucky Derby.

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Retired Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, now based in Kentucky and involved in the establishment of a jockey training academy where students can earn college credit in conjunction with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, said his picks were Barbaro and Brother Derek.

Jerry Bailey, another retired Hall of Fame rider, picked Lawyer Ron.