LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Before he sends out the probable favorite in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, trainer Brad Cox will take two shots at winning his third Kentucky Oaks in the last four years when he sends out Travel Column and Coach in Friday’s 147th renewal of the marquee race for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs. Travel Column, a multiple graded stakes winner, drew post 6 in the 14-horse field and was made the 3-1 co-second choice with Search Results, both slightly behind the undefeated Malathaat (5-2) on Mike Battaglia’s morning line. Coach, who won her first three starts but who is winless this year, drew post 9 and was dismissed by Battaglia at 50-1. The Oaks, run at 1 1/8 miles, carries a purse of $1.25 million. In the Oaks, Travel Column will renew her budding rivalry with Clairiere, the two having already met three times. Travel Column beat Clairiere in the Grade 2 Golden Rod here last year and the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks last month. In between, Clairiere defeated Travel Column by a neck in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra, also at Fair Grounds. :: Get DRF Clocker Reports for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks cards to access exclusive insights from morning training “We’re up right now,” Cox said. “We hope we can stay that way and they don’t even it up this weekend.” Cox has won two of the last three Oaks with Monomoy Girl in 2018 and Shedaresthedevil last September. It was on the Oaks program last Sept. 4 that Travel Column debuted with a 4 1/4-length victory sprinting. Travel Column has been compromised a time or two by poor breaks, but Cox feels that in her two starts this year, jockey Florent Geroux was a little more aggressive with Travel Column away from the gate. “I think she’ll be forwardly placed,” Cox said. Cox called Travel Column “a fantastic work horse” and noted that she has worked several times with Essential Quality since last fall. “She’ll hold her own with him,” Cox said. “She’ll give you a lot of confidence watching her train.” Coach, a daughter of Commissioner, won her first three starts, including the Rags to Riches Stakes here last October. She is winless in three starts this year, most recently finishing third behind Oaks entrants Pauline’s Pearl and Ava’s Grace in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes. She drew post 9, will be ridden by Luis Saez, and is listed at 50-1 on the line. “Coach will have to step up, run a race we haven’t seen from her,” Cox said. “She moved forward last time.” Steve Asmussen is also a two-time winner of the Oaks, having taken it in 2005 with Summerly and 2014 with Untapable. Clairiere, a daughter of Curlin owned and bred by Stonestreet Stables, drew post 3 and was made the 5-1 fourth choice. Asmussen was okay with Clairiere’s runner-up effort in the Fair Grounds Oaks. “I thought she ran really well in a paceless race,” Asmussen said. “She’s sharper now.” Pauline’s Pearl, a daughter of Tapit trained by Asmussen, is coming off a one-length victory in the Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn. She will break from the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr. Malathaat, undefeated in four career starts, drew post 10 and will be ridden by John Velazquez for Todd Pletcher, who has won the Oaks three times. Malathaat has just one start this year, but that was a head victory over Pass the Champagne in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland. Pass the Champagne, who arrived at Churchill on Monday morning following a van ride from South Florida, was coming off a maiden win when she ran that big race in the Ashland. Those two starts came after she was privately purchased by a group that includes Jake Ballis and Randy Hill. Ballis said he was surprised to see his filly at 15-1 on the morning line after having run so close to the favorite in the Ashland. :: Get Kentucky Derby Betting Strategies for exclusive wager recommendations, contender profiles, pedigree analysis, and more “I’ll bet you she’s more like 8-1,” Ballis said. “Her last work was very good. She’s going to run a big race.” Crazy Beautiful and Millefeuille finished one-two in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. Crazy Beautiful drew well in post 4 for the Kentucky Oaks while Millefeuille drew poorly in post 14. Undefeated Search Results, trained by Chad Brown, drew post 12 and was made the 3-1 co-second choice. Rounding out the field are Ava’s Grace, Competitive Speed, Maracuja, Moraz, and Will’s Secret. The Oaks will go as race 12 on a 13-race card that begins at 10:30 a.m. It will be shown on NBCSN, which is scheduled to broadcast for six hours from Churchill Downs (noon-6 p.m. Eastern). :: Access DRF Past Performances for Friday's Kentucky Oaks card at Churchill Downs