Debutante Stakes Runner-Up Ontheonesandtwos Searches for First-Career Stakes Win in Pocahontas

Sep 15, 2021 Churchill Downs Communications,Kevin Kerstein

Deuce Greathouse, Cindy Hutson, Madaket Stables and Thomas Romano’s Ontheonesandtwos will be in search of her first graded stakes win in Saturday’s 53^rd running of the $300,000 Pocahontas (Grade III) – the kickoff to the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks.”

Saturday’s Pocahontas Stakes, which goes as Race 8 with a post time of 9:39 p.m., is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” series where the winner will receive an automatic entry-fees paid berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

The 1 1/16-mile race also offers points to the Top 4 finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI).

The Pocahontas shares the Saturday spotlight with the $300,000 Iroquois, its counterpart for 2-year-olds that begins the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” along with the $400,000 Locust Grove (GIII), $300,000 Open Mind and $275,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society. The first of 11 races will get underway at 6 p.m. for Downs After Dark presented by Budweiser.

Ontheonesandtwos, a 2-year-old Jimmy Creed filly trained by Norm Casse, won her debut in May at Churchill Downs by 1 ¾ lengths. The former $37,000 purchase from the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale finished second behind Behave Virginia in the $150,000 Debutante and sixth in the $200,000 Adirondack Stakes (GII) at Saratoga. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride from post No. 4.

Among Ontheonesandtwos’ rivals in the Pocahontas is Hidden Brook Farm’s flashy debut winner Hidden Connection. Trained by Bret Calhoun, Hidden Connection won four weeks ago at Colonial Downs by 7 ½ lengths under jockey Reylu Gutierrez. Hidden Connection is among the first-crop of 2-year-olds from her sire Connect. She was purchased at the 2021 OBS June Horses of Racing Age Sale for $85,000. Gutierrez has the return call from post 9.

The complete field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Code for Success (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver); Goddess of Fire (Javier Castellano, Todd Pletcher); Mama Rina (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek); Ontheonesandtwos (Santana, Norm Casse); Majestic d’Oro (Martin Garcia, Brendan Walsh); Kneesnhips (James Graham, Tom Amoss); Miss Chamita (Gregory Romero, Michel Doulhy); Hidden Connection (Gutierrez, Calhoun); Lemieux (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Cassse); and Joyrunner (Joe Ramos, Laura Wohlers).