Dave Portnoy Sends Lovely Grey Into 152nd Kentucky Oaks

dave portnoy’s filly Lovely Grey is in the 152nd Kentucky Oaks after Bottle of Rouge was scratched last weekend because of a cough. The move gives Portnoy a runner in one of the race’s biggest stages, with Lovely Grey entering as an extreme longshot.

Portnoy’s Longshot Filly

Portnoy posted that Lovely Grey is an extreme longshot and made no attempt to dress it up. “My horse Lovely Grey is an extreme longshot. I don’t care,” he wrote, adding, “All you need is a chip and a chair.”

He also wrote, “Im (sic) proud of her win lose or draw.” Another post put the price at, “She’ll prob be at least 30-1 unless the Stoolies bet her down.”

That is the lane Lovely Grey is in now. She races under Portnoy’s Go Go Greys Stable, which he started last year, and her place in the field came only after Bottle of Rouge developed a cough and was scratched.

Lovely Grey At Turfway Park

Lovely Grey’s path to Churchill Downs was built on a recent runner-up finish. She finished second on March 21 in the Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, then was acquired earlier this year by Portnoy after bidding was stalled.

There is one more wrinkle in the race. Portnoy said, “If it was a beauty pageant she’d win in a landslide.” If Lovely Grey wins at Churchill Downs, it will be the first Kentucky Oaks winner with a female trainer.

Churchill Downs On Friday

The race will run in primetime on Friday on NBC, giving a notable outsider a place on a national stage. For Portnoy, the immediate reality is simple: Lovely Grey is in, and she gets her shot after Bottle of Rouge’s scratch opened the door.