Brereton Jones’ Lovely Maria, in contention early through moderate fractions, turned it on in the stretch and pulled away to capture the $1 millionLongines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) May 1 atChurchill Downs (VIDEO). The crowd of 123,763 under warm, sunny skies was an Oaks record.

Ridden by Kerwin Clark and trained by Larry Jones, Lovely Maria, a 3-year-old filly by Majesticperfection   out of the Thunder Gulch mare Thundercup, captured her second grade I stakes. In her previous start, she won the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.

Shook Up rallied for second, 2 3/4 lengths behind Lovely Maria. Another Jones trainee, I’m a Chatterbox, finished third, with favoredStellar Wind fourth. The time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.45 on a fast track.

Lovely Maria returned $14.60, $7.80, and $5.40 across the board. Shook Up was worth $20.20 and $11.40, while I’m a Chatterbox paid $5.

It was the third Kentucky Oaks victory for Brereton Jones, owner of Airdrie Stud in Central Kentucky. He previously won with Proud Spell in 2008 and Believe You Can in 2012.

“It never gets old,” Jones said of winning the Oaks again. “The good Lord has blessed us. All I can say is thank you to everyone who made this possible.”

It also was the third Oaks win for trainer Jones, who has won all three for the former governor of Kentucky. Brereton Jones and Larry Jones are unrelated. Proud Spell and Believe You Can were sired by Airdrie stallion Proud Citizen  ; Majesticperfection also stands at Airdrie, and Lovely Maria was bred in Kentucky by Olin Gentry and Thomas Gaines.

“This is the first (Oaks win) that the filly wasn’t by Proud Citizen,” Larry Jones said. “So now I know I can do it with a different stallion. I do know (Brereton Jones) was a politician, but this guy is as real as it gets.”

Jones said Lovely Maria trained extremely well heading into the Oaks.

“She kind of touted herself in the Ashland,” the trainer said, “and she’s one of those horses that doesn’t need to take her racetrack with her. You could put marbles out there and she’d probably run on it.”

The pace for the Oaks, which attracted a full field of 14, was set by multiple graded-stakes winner Condo Commando, who under Joel Rosario set fractions of :23.51 for the opening quarter-mile, :47.26 for the half-mile, and 1:11.50 for six furlongs with Angela Renee and Lovely Maria never far behind. Angela Renee took the lead on the far turn and was quickly engaged by Lovely Maria at the top of the stretch after a mile in 1:36.86.

Lovely Maria assumed command and never appeared threatened by Shook Up, who sat in fourth for most of the race. Third-place finisher I’m a Chatterbox was the only filly to make up ground in the lane.

Clark, a veteran rider at age 56, won his first grade I with Lovely Maria in the Ashland in April and was in tears after the Oaks.

“I’ve been riding for 40 years and I won my first grade I last month at Keeneland with this horse,” Clark said. “Then we win this race today. I am very blessed—blessed to have this horse, to have Larry Jones in my life and believing in me, to have (Brereton) Jones believe in me and stick with me.”

Robby Albarado, who rode Shook Up for Regis Racing and trainer Steve Asmussen, said the Tapit   filly ended up with a great trip. Shook Up finished second to I’m a Chatterbox in the Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) in her previous start.

“We were right where we wanted to be,” Albarado said. “I was content in my spot behind (Condo Commando and Angela Renee). She has matured quite a bit. When we turned for home, I thought we had a chance to get there.”

“She’s a good filly, and good races are in her future,” Asmussen said. ‘We’re very proud of her. She was ready, and I loved how she acted, love how she ran. I wish she had won but I’m very proud of her effort.”

Grayson Farm’s I’m a Chatterbox rallied from 11th to finish a length behind Shook Up. The Munnings   filly had captured the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. III) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots before her Fair Grounds Oaks win.

“She broke a step slow and I was maybe a little farther back than I wanted, but other than that, everything went smooth,” jockey Florent Geroux said. “I was able to sneak my way through and she finished really hard.”

Jockey Victor Espinoza, who rode Hronis Racing’s Stellar Wind, said theCurlin   filly broke slowly and didn’t like having dirt kicked in her race. Stellar Wind was highly regarded in the Kentucky Oaks wagering after her win in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I).

“She just got roughed up at the start, you can’t be that far back today,” said John Sadler, who trains Stellar Wind. “She was way too far back. She was last around the first turn and the winners were all up close today, so she never had any position. She just banged up out of the gate.

“Sometimes you get a bad trip so there’s nothing you can really do. We’ll take her back to California, freshen her up, and then decide what to do next with her.”

Honeybee Stakes (gr. III) winner Sarah Sis was pulled up in the stretch by Gary Stevens for precautionary reasons.

“Gary Stevens eased her to a stop in the stretch, because she didn’t feel right to him,” said Dr. Keith Latson of the American Association of Equine Practitioners On Call program. “It was nothing specific. Dr. Will Farm (of the Kentucky Horse Racing Association) attended to her and it was obvious she was standing on all four legs comfortably with no apparent injuries. She was treated for mild heat exhaustion and the good news is she should be just fine.”

Trainer Ingrid Mason later reported Sarah Sis checked out fine. “I really think she just didn’t like the track,” she said.