The Grade 3 UAE Oaks on Friday at Meydan may give the winner
a starting berth at Churchill Downs on May 2 by awarding 50 points on the road to the
Kentucky Oaks (G1) to the winner.

That would be a remarkable feat for Norway-trained Queen Azteca, who beat six of Friday’s rivals in the Cocoa Beach Stakes over a mile
on the same course last time out and who is expected to enjoy the 1 3/16 miles
of the UAE Oaks even more.

“Queen Azteca has come on for the race and will benefit from a little bit further,” trainer Niels Petersen said. “The opposition will be pretty much the same, so of course we are optimistic. But most importantly the filly just looks like she’s getting better and better.

“It’s a big race for us coming here for so many years. It means a lot to us if we’re able to pull this one off, because we know it’s very difficult to win here.”

Queen Azteca is owned by Glaesner Racing. A filly by Sharp Azteca out of Palace Malice mare Princesa Helena, she bred in Kentucky at Three Chimneys Farm. She was sold for about $40,000 at a Tattersalls online sale in May.

Trainer Nicolas Caullery takes his chance with Mistysea, who tried dirt for the first time when she finished fifth in the Cocoa Beach on Jan. 17.

“She recovered well and took her race quite easy,” Caullery’s
wife and assistant Marine Henry said. “I expect a good run, because last time
she wasn’t ready as she didn’t travel over that well. Now we know she can go on
the dirt.”

The UAE Oaks will award 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers. Unlike the UAE Derby (G2), which was merged with the Europe road to the Kentucky Derby, the fillies prep remains on the same road as U.S. points races for the Kentucky Oaks.

Friday’s eight-race card includes local trials for Dubai World
Cup (G1) night April 5. The Balanchine (G2), the Nad Al Sheba Trophy (G3) and the
listed Al Bastakiya are part of the program that starts at 8:30 a.m. EST. The
UAE Oaks will be run at 10:15 a.m.

Pgm / PP	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last start	Status
1 pp8		Arigatou Gozaimasu Honest Mischief		Salem bin Ghadayer Bernardo Pinheiro	3rd, Cocoa Beach	Entered
Last race		3rd, Cocoa Beach
2 pp6		Mistysea Goken		Nicolas Caullery Royston Ffrench	5th, Cocoa Beach	Entered
Last race		5th, Cocoa Beach
3 pp5		Parisian Beauty Kameko		Bhupat Seemar Richard Mullen	5th, cond, MEY, 1/31/25	Entered
Last race		5th, cond, MEY, 1/31/25
4 pp2		Queen Azteca Sharp Azteca		Niels Petersen Carlos Lopez	1st, Cocoa Beach	Entered
Last race		1st, Cocoa Beach
5 pp7		Reina Rosso Vino Rosso		Bhupat Seemar Andrew Slattery	8th, Cocoa Beach	Entered
Last race		8th, Cocoa Beach
6 pp3		Ruby Hamilton Audible		Doug Watson Pat Dobbs	4th, Cocoa Beach	Entered
Last race		4th, Cocoa Beach
7 pp4		Salsabil Princess Honor Code		Bhupat Seemar Patrick Cosgrave	7th, cond, MEY, 1/31/25	Entered
Last race		7th, cond, MEY, 1/31/25
8 pp1		Taswaheen Mendelssohn		Ahmad bin Harmash Connor Beasley	2nd, Cocoa Beach	Entered
Last race		2nd, Cocoa Beach