BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Trainer Kenneth McPeek begins his quest for the 2026 Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade 1) with a pair of 2-year-old fillies in Florida-bred Taken by the Wind and Our Two Girls in the $300,000 Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs Saturday.
The one-mile Pocahontas, for 2-year-old fillies, is the first of 33 races on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series awarding points to qualify for the 152nd running of the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks to be run at a mile-and-one-eighth at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2026. Oaks points will be awarded to the top five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis. Last year, Quickick was the last filly to qualify for the Oaks with 34 points and $329,000 in non-restricted stakes earnings.
Taken by the Wind is owned by Terry Bradshaw, the four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and longtime analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday; in a partnership with Sherri McPeek’s Magdalena Racing and Graham Leveston.
She makes her second career start after winning a $75,000 optional claiming maiden race going seven furlongs after taken off the turf at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 31. Ridden by Christopher Elliott, Taken by the Wind stalked from third while in tight quarters early, circled three-wide in the turn then took the lead with an erratic run in the stretch to win by three lengths.
Taken by the Wind is by Rock Your World out of Up for Grabs, by First Samurai and was bred in Florida by Courtney L. Meagher.
An earner of $44,000 in her debut, Taken by the Wind was purchased by McPeek for $20,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Fall Yearling Sale. A few months earlier, Walking L Thoroughbreds had bought her out of the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale in July for $70,000.
Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Taken by the Wind from post three in the field of seven.
Our Two Girls exits a two-and-a-half-length victory against maiden special weight fillies at Ellis Park on Aug. 2.
Owned by Bob Hutcherson’s Shamrock Stables LLC and MJM Racing, Our Two Girls pressed the pace from third around the turn, waited for room until finding a seem at the quarter pole then kicked clear in the stretch.
The bay filly is by Caravaggio out of Candy Apple Red, by Curlin and will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. from post five.
Rounding out the field are Starlit Sky with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Miss Complicated and rider Julien Leparoux, Luan Machado will be in the saddle on Joke Maker, Dazzling Dame will have Luis Saez up and Jaime Rodriguez has the call on Embrace the Moment.
Return to the September 10 issue of Wire to Wire
