It's the day after the Equination.net Oaks (GI) and the EQ.net Turf Marathon (GII) and it looks as though both winners came out of their races in good shape. Yesterday's victories were the first graded wins for both Triple Stakes Racing and McDonald Racing.

Triple Stakes Racing captured the Equination.net Oaks with their entry Your Ashtray. The three-year-old filly is a homebred from TSR, who was certainly not expecting a win from her filly. "She pulled out that huge work so I figured she would flop in this race, especially after her less-than-stellar performance in The Debutante last year," said the proud owner. Heading into this race she had put in a 120.5 rated workout and as a two-year-old, Ashtray had her only off-the-board race when finishing a dismal tenth in The Debutante.

As for future plans, Triple Stakes Racing says that the filly will continue her normal routine and will definitely be a contender in the Sunshine Stakes (GII), the second jewel of the Triple Tiara series. If all goes well, she'll likely be headed for The Daisy Cup (GII) as well. Distant-future plans include life as a broodmare at Triple Stakes Racing once her racing career comes to an end. TSR would also like to congratulate Iota Racing and Wildcat Racing on their strong second and third place finishes in this tough field.

McDonald Racing also earned their first graded victory yesterday when Slip Storming the CastleLT romped in the EQ.net Turf Marathon. Storming the Castle had been featured twice in recent Top Rating listings, having earned a 130+ rating prior to his victory in the Marathon. McDonald Racing is a member of the Stakes Club and Storming the Castle looks to be a solid contender if he enters the Thunderheart Marathon Cup (GII) at the end of March.