Iowa Oaks One of a Handful of Solid Stakes at Prairie Meadows

The $200,000, Grade III race at a mile and a sixteenth will be contested by nine fillies including two comebackers – Sugar Shock and Ria Antonia - from the Kentucky Oaks. Sugar Shock is the morning line favorite at 5/2 as she atoned for a disappointing eighth place finish at Churchill with a solid front-running score in the Panthers Stakes at Prairie Meadows May 31. Her class and experience make her the deserving favorite as she has now crossed the wire first in five of her last six races.

Breeders' Cup champ Ria Antonia looms with a chance

Another major player is 2013 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Ria Antonia (5/1 ML), who is looking to rebound after being trounced in both the Kentucky Oaks and Preakness Stakes. The latter race was an ill-advised attempt that likely can be attributed to over-ambitious plans by her owners. Nonetheless, she ships to Prairie Meadows for trainer Tom Amoss and finds herself in a much better spot in the Iowa Oaks where she will carry the lightest weight in the field at 112 lbs – a nine pound drop from her previous two starts. Sugar Shock, by contrast, will carry nine more lbs than Ria Antonia.

Size has made a recent habit of hitting the board

The wild card in the race could be the Bill Mott trained shipper, Size (6/1 ML), who has made three career starts at six furlong with two wins and a second place finish in the Jersey Girl Stakes at Belmont. At the very least Size could ensure a lively pace.