FLORENCE, Ky. – Trainer William Walden had to decide which road to take with Bless the Broken, a filly who had been knocking on the door on the Kentucky Oaks trail this winter. A week ago, he cross-entered her in the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks on Saturday's marquee card at Turfway Park, where she has trained well; and in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks, run a few moments earlier in New Orleans, where the filly was multiple stakes-placed this winter. “We thought we’d go here for our last shot at Oaks points and it worked out,” said Walden, in perhaps the understatement of the day. Bless the Broken ($15.18) made a powerhouse late rally to win the Bourbonette Oaks by 2 3/4 lengths, going away, and punched her ticket to the Kentucky Oaks on May 2 at Churchill Downs. The Bourbonette awards points toward the filly classic on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale. The 50 points Bless the Broken earned, along with the 17.5 she already held from prior efforts, virtually assures her a place in the 14-horse field. In recent history, it took 50 points to make the Oaks gate in 2024 and 2022, and 48 points in 2023.  :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Bless the Broken, a Laoban filly owned by her breeder, Cypress Creek Equine, and Madaket Stables, had made all six of her prior starts on dirt. She finished second in the Silverbulletday Stakes in January at Fair Grounds behind Simply Joking, and third in last month’s Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at the track behind Good Cheer and Gowells Delight. Good Cheer won the Fair Grounds Oaks Saturday to remain unbeaten and stamp herself as the Kentucky Oaks favorite, while Gowells Delight was third.   Hall of Famer John Velazquez picked up the mount on Bless the Broken for the Bourbonette Oaks, her first start at Turfway despite regularly training on the Tapeta. Much of the attention in the race focused on the cat-and-mouse game between two other local fillies – White Rocks, the loose-on-the-lead winner of last month’s Cincinnati Trophy, and runner-up Admit, who planned to take dead aim this time. White Rocks did make the early running again, but was relaxed and cruising through early splits of 24.24 seconds for the opening quarter and 49.02 seconds for the half, leading by a length at that point. Admit, after breaking more alertly, was stalking her intently in third, never far off while on the inside. Coming into the stretch, Bracelet, who had been racing in second on the outside, began to turn up the pressure on White Rocks, as Admit looked for room. But those questions were moot in an instant. Bless the Broken, who had been seventh after the opening half, swung very wide into the stretch under Velazquez, and came with a relentless rally. She put her head in front in midstretch and scampered clear in the final yards. As Catch Can, who was last early, came on to be second by a neck over Admit. As Catch Can is not an Oaks nominee. After the top three, Bracelet, White Rocks, Zealous Moon, and Golden Sunshine finished in a blanket photo, in that order. Somethinabouther, Getting After It, Resolve, and Just Ruthless rounded out the order of finish. Bracelet had drawn into the field with the scratch of Will Then, entered in tomorrow's China Doll Stakes at Santa Anita. The other also-eligible, Classic Appeal, did not draw in. The time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.65. Banks, Kale’s Angel score sophomore stakes In addition to its Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks points races, Saturday's major program at Turfway Park offered additional stakes options for 3-year-olds against softer competition, or at shorter distances. Banks ($6.74) scored his third win from five starts at Turfway in the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes. While he is well-accomplished locally, the gelding gave celebrated international jockey Frankie Dettori his first career victory at Turfway Park. Dettori, who celebrated with his famed flying dismount in the winner's circle, rode in Florence for the first time on this program last year. Banks and Dettori, sixth after the opening half behind a pedestrian pace, moved up into fourth as the field bunched up on the far turn, and made a bold move between horses to seize command. Banks kicked clear by two lengths under steady urging despite racing on the incorrect lead, and held sway to the wire as Megalodon – seventh turning for home – came on late. It was Banks by 1 1/4 lengths at the wire, with Megalodon was second by a length over End of Romance. The time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:45.92. Banks was claimed for $30,000 by trainer Joe Sharp, on behalf of Tom Lambro, out of a runner-up debut effort in October at Keeneland. The Outwork gelding went on to win a maiden special weight and an allowance/optional-claiming race to start his Turfway season. However, he made no impact against Turfway's Derby hopefuls, finishing an uninvolved seventh in the Leonatus Stakes and an even fourth in the John Battaglia Memorial. One race later, Kale's Angel ($8.24), who had also tangled with some Derby hopefuls, cut back to a preferred distance and handled a surface switch with aplomb, coasting to a 3 3/4-length victory in the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters. With pacesetting Big Vince attempting to get away entering the stretch, Kale's Angel and Ramon Vazquez rolled up on the outside to pounce on him, and quickly scooted clear into the stretch. The winner was never threatened while lightly kept to task to the wire. He stopped the clock in 1:11.24 for the six furlongs. Behind the winner, Mo Hair Sam came on to overhaul Big Vince for second. Kale's Angel was a maiden winner sprinting on turf last year, but more recently had been racing on dirt at Oaklawn Park for trainer Peter Miller and owners Tom Kagale and Ernest Marchosky. The Complexity colt won the Advent Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs in December, then attempted the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones in January. After pressing the pace, he finished third, 4 1/4 lengths behind victorious Coal Battle, who has continued to be prominent on the Derby trail. Cutting back in distance, Kale's Angel then won the Renaissance Stakes by a neck just two weeks later, going six furlongs at Oaklawn. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.