Affect Out To Impress In Indiana Oaks

Time/Date - 21.11hrs local time/Saturday, July 18, 2015
Racecourse/Country - Indiana Grand/USA
Surface/Distance - Dirt/1m 110y

Lightly-raced three-year-old Affect steps up to Grade Two level for the Indiana Oaks over an extended mile on dirt at Indiana Grand Racecourse, USA, on Saturday evening, July 18.

The Bernardini filly, representing Eoin Harty, has made four appearances to date and kept on well to go down by a neck in a Tapeta allowance race, also over an extended mile, on her latest start at Presque Isle Downs on June 18.

She faded to sixth in an allowance optional claimer over the same distance on dirt at Churchill Downs on May 1 but romped home to a 12 and a quarter-length victory in a turf maiden, again over an extended mile, at Tampa Bay Downs on May 6.

Affect was sixth on her debut in a six-furlong dirt maiden at Tampa Bay Downs on February 1.

Eoin Harty reported: "Affect is doing well. She ran a good race at Presque Isle Downs last time and I have put blinkers on her to keep her focused but this is a big step up in class.

"She flattened out a bit when she ran at Churchill Downs but the filly that won that day, Curalina, subsequently took the Acorn Stakes, so it was a hot race."

Affect, with Fernando De La Cruz in the saddle for the first time and drawn three, faces 10 other three-year-old fillies including Ashland Stakes third Silverpocketsfull, Kentucky Oaks seventh Oceanwave and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes third Ahh Chocolate.