HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Shedaresthedevil and Letruska put on a show together when finishing a head apart in the Grade 2, $350,000 Azeri on Saturday at Oaklawn. Now, they are headed in separate directions. Shedaresthedevil, the 2020 Kentucky Oaks heroine who was winning her seasonal debut in the Azeri, is scheduled to return to Churchill Downs for that track’s Grade 1, $500,000 La Troienne on April 30, trainer Brad Cox said Sunday. Letruska, a multiple Group 1 winner, is on pace to make her next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap on April 17 at Oaklawn, trainer Fausto Gutierrez said Sunday. For the Azeri, both horses earned Beyer Speed Figures of 99. Shedaresthedevil set the pace Saturday after anticipated leader Letruska broke a step slow. The horses fought through the lane, with Shedaresthedevil giving up nothing along the rail and Letruska in relentless pursuit to the wire. In the end, it was a head win for Shedaresthedevil. “She saw that other horse, she gritted her teeth,” said Staton Flurry, who co-owns Shedaresthedevil. “She really dug in. Hopefully, it’s the start of a huge 2021 for her.” Shedaresthedevil covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.57. The time was the fastest among the card’s three stakes at the distance, the others being the Grade 2 Rebel and the Essex. :: Bet horse racing on DRF Bets. Double Your First Deposit Up to $250. Join Now. Cox said Shedaresthedevil emerged from the Azeri really well, and for the time being will remain at Oaklawn. She had shipped in from Fair Grounds. “She showed her determination, grit, and will to win,” he said of her effort Saturday. The Azeri score gave Cox a third victory in the filly and mare route series this meet at Oaklawn. Getridofwhatailesu won the Pippin in January, and champion Monomoy Girl launched her season last month with a win in the Grade 3 Bayakoa. Monomoy Girl is currently based at Fair Grounds. “She’ll stay here for a little while,” Cox said of Shedaresthedevil. “Probably looking at the La Troienne just because of the timing, and with Monomoy pointing for the Apple Blossom, we don’t really want to butt heads with her just yet. “And Shedaresthedevil loves Churchill Downs. She does like Oaklawn. She had some success here, won a couple of stakes between the Honeybee and Azeri. But I think probably her two most impressive races visually were her Kentucky Oaks, and her allowance race before the Indiana Oaks. So, she really does love Churchll Downs.” Letruska invaded from her South Florida base of Palm Meadows for the Azeri. Gutierrez on Sunday was pleased with her effort and how she came out of the race. He said she would remain at Oaklawn. “She’ll train here with the idea to go to the Apple Blossom,” Gutierrez said Sunday. “It’s a very important race, with good money, on a racetrack on which she’s run good.” Gutierrez also likes that the Apple Blossom is a handicap. Letruska spotted Shedaresthedevil five pounds on Saturday under the allowance conditions of the Azeri. “A handicap, the idea is to have the same advantage, give the horses the same chance to win,” he said of assigned weights. “In the last race, she gave some pounds to the others. Now, this time, we’ll receive.” Getridofwhatailesyou was third in the Azeri, finishing two lengths behind Letruska and earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 96. “Getridofwhatailesu ran big,” Cox said. “It was huge for her to get that Grade 2-placing. She does love Oaklawn, so the Apple Blossom could be in play for her. We’ll talk it over with [owner] Stuart Grant and come up with other ideas as well. Nothing is set in stone.” Finite eyes Churchill Finite is another high-quality member of the distaff division who has run this meet. She finished third in last month’s Grade 3 Bayakoa in her first start of the year. The effort pushed her earnings over $800,000. Trainer Steve Asmussen said Sunday a probable long-range target for multiple Grade 2 winner Finite is the Grade 2, $250,000 Fleur de Lis over 1 1/8 miles on June 26 at Churchill Downs. She is a two-time graded winner over the Churchill main track. Finite breezed Monday at Fair Grounds. Claims top $4 million Oaklawn on Sunday went over $4 million in claiming activity this meet. There have been a total of 223 claims for $4,039,500 in transactions among stables. This month alone, there has been a 15-way shake for a horse, Into Victory for $10,000 on March 11, and a 16-way shake, for Derby Code for $10,000 on March 7. There also have been 10-, 11-, and 12-way shakes for horses.