WASHINGTON OAKS
33RD RUNNING, AUGUST 11, 2012
1-1/8 MILES IN 1:48.75 :23.45, 1:11.67, 1:35.94

JOCKEY JAVIER MATIAS, CHAMPAGNEANDCAVIAR, WINNER: “I didn’t think I would get the lead because I knew Juan (Gutierrez) wanted to send his horse. I had a tight hold on my horse the whole way. I wanted to keep the front of her body in between (Exclusive Diva) and the rail so that I’d have room in the stretch. I looked back at the quarter-pole and saw (Our Eleanor) was the only one closing. I was pretty confident we were going to win. She’s got a big heart.”

JOCKEY JUAN GUTIERREZ, EXCLUSIVE DIVA, SECOND: “My horse felt pretty good. She was going easy on the lead. She felt stronger in this race than she did in the last one. I thought after we pulled away from Our Eleanor that we were going to win, but Champagneandcaviar is just really competitive.”

NOTES: Champagneandcaviar (11-3-2-2-$87,865)*Javier Matias is tied with Juan Gutierrez for No. 1 with five stakes wins at the meet, and is No. 9 all-time with 17 EmD stakes wins*Howard Belvoir has two stakes wins this meet and is tied with Frank Lucarelli for No. 5 all-time with 29 stakes wins*Fleur De Lis Stables is No. 1 with four stakes wins in 2012: two each by Winning Machine and Champagneandcaviar. Winning Machine and Champagneandcaviar are both Kentucky-breds out of the broodmare Dance With Carson*Winning Machine starts in the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3), Sunday, August 19*Exclusive Diva has two wins and two seconds in the Washington Oaks Series; Champagneandcaviar has two wins, one third, and didn’t run in the Seattle Handicap. However, Champagneandcaviar captured the meet’s championship race, which could sway voters in balloting for Top 3-Year-Old Filly.