My Baby Baby has sweet ring at Hollywood Park

Today’s $750,000 American Oaks at Hollywood Park, the headliner among four graded stakes races offering purses totaling $2.1 million, has a bit of everything.

The 1 1/4 -mile turf test for 3-year-old fillies has four European invitees -- Annie Skates and Zaskar from England, Caribbean Sunset from Ireland and Satan’s Circus from France.

The race has connections to Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown. Longshot entrant Backseat Rhythm is trained by Patrick Campbell and owned by Paul Pompa Jr. Campbell trained Big Brown when he scored his first victory last September, and Pompa was Big Brown’s original owner who still owns a 25% interest in the horse.

Pure Clan, the 7-2 morning-line favorite in the Oaks, is co-owned by IEAH Stables, Big Brown’s majority owner.

New York invader Raw Silk, a 6-1 early choice in the Oaks, is coming off a 4 1/2 -length victory in the Grade II Sand Point Stakes at Belmont on May 31 and worked five furlongs in 59.40 seconds Wednesday.

But if you’re looking for a sentimental choice in the race, that may be My Baby Baby.

Trainer Ken McPeek of Lexington, Ky., named this filly in honor of his daughter, Jenna, now 7.

That’s a nice touch, but it’s how Jenna came into this world that makes this an interesting story. Jenna’s mother, Sue, was diagnosed at 41 with a rare form of cancer when she was pregnant with Jenna.

“During a routine visit to my dentist I complained about a lump in the roof of my mouth,” Sue McPeek said. “He told me I better get it checked out. My dentist saved my life.”

But chemotherapy treatments couldn’t begin until after Jenna’s birth. So a C-section was planned six weeks before the due date.

There were some anxious times for the McPeeks. But everything turned out fine. And now mom and daughter are doing fine too.

When asked if she likes the name “My Baby Baby,” Jenna, who will enter second grade later this summer and seems to wear a constant smile, shook her head.

McPeek said he came up with the name after calling Jenna his baby. Jenna’s response was, “I’m a big girl,” and McPeek said, “No, you’re a baby. You’re my baby baby.”

McPeek has had plenty of good horses during his long career. His Harlan’s Holiday was the morning-line favorite in the 2002 Kentucky Derby but finished seventh and then fourth in the Preakness.

But McPeek won the Belmont with 70-1 longshot Sarava that year.

The early odds on My Baby Baby in the Oaks were 12-1, but went down to 8-1 Friday. The filly is coming off a 5 3/4 -length victory in an allowance race at Churchill Downs and though she has never run the Oaks’ distance, McPeek said, “I think a mile and a quarter is right up her alley.”

The Oaks will be run as the ninth race, two after the Grade II, $750,000 CashCall Mile, a turf race for fillies and mares. Ventura, trained by Bobby Frankel, is the 5-2 favorite in a field of seven with Lady of Venice the 9-5 second choice.

Unbeaten Zenyetta is featured in the Grade I, $300,000 Vanity Handicap and will carry high weight of 124 pounds. Also in the field of seven are Grade I winners Tough Tiz’s Sis and Sealy Hill.

Today’s program, which has a noon first post, also includes Grade I, $300,000 Triple Bend Handicap.

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larry.stewart@latimes.com