Bird Town captures Kentucky Oaks

It was the first Oaks win for trainer Nick Zito.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Nick Zito said his first Kentucky Oaks winner was just as sweet as either of his Kentucky Derby victories.
"To me, I have the same feeling. Honestly," the trainer said after Bird Town overcame a stumbling start to win Friday's $573,800 Oaks by 31/4 lengths at Churchill Downs.
The daughter of Cape Town was ridden by Edgar Prado and covered 1 1-8 miles in 1:48.64, the fastest Oaks time in history at that distance. The race was run at 1 1-16 miles from 1942-81.
"What heart this filly has," Zito said. "She never runs a bad race. Consistency makes you great."
Winner was 18-1 shot
Bird Town, an 18-1 shot, didn't look like she'd come close to winning at the start, stumbling on her first step out of the gate.
She was 11th as the 12-horse field rounded the first turn, but Zito credited Prado with settling the filly into a comfortable pace.
"Great jockeys have a way with horses. He didn't let her get away," Zito said.
Elloluv, the 3-1 favorite, battled Santa Catarina for the lead on a blazing pace into the final turn. Elloluv tired in the long Churchill Downs stretch, and Bird Town was one of four horses to make a late surge to the front.
Bird Town emerged from the pack under a hard left-handed whip from Prado and drew off for the victory.
"She showed a lot of determination and courage and will to win," said Prado, who will ride Peace Rules in today's Derby.
The last jockey to win both races in the same year was Jerry Bailey, with Dispute in the Oaks and Sea Hero, in 1993.
"It's a great feeling to win any kind of a race," Prado said. "It's even better to win the great races."
The Kentucky-bred Bird Town paid $38.40, $14.20 and $9.20.
It was the first Oaks victory for owner Mary Lou Whitney, the widow of the late C.V. Whitney, who won four Oaks between 1936-75.
"As Nick knows, I love my homebreds," Whitney said. "We buy horses, too. But homebreds mean so much to me."
Second-place finisher
Santa Catarina, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, held off Davona Dale winner Yell by a head for second.
Elloluv, a winner in four of her seven previous starts, was fourth.
Bird Town won for the second time in four starts as a 3-year-old. She hasn't finished worse than second since a third-place finish at Calder in December.
"She trained great all winter. She's pretty amazing," said Zito, who also trained eighth-place finisher Holiday Lady.
Oaks Day, the traditional warmup for the Kentucky Derby, drew a crowd of 100,523, fifth-largest in history.
Earlier Friday, Bailey rode You to victory in the $325,500 Grade II Louisville Breeders' Cup.
Senor Swinger won the Grade III Crown Royal American Turf three days after Baffert withdrew him from Derby consideration.