Blame’s Explora Proves Best in the Honeybee
Pegram, Watson and Weitman’s Explora (Blame) stayed close throughout and once in front, the even-money choice proved too tough to run down as she held off Counting Stars to take Sunday’s GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Longshot Knickleandime (Knicks Go) went to the front as Sneaky Good (Into Mischief) to the inside and Explora on the outer, took up chase through an opening quarter in :23.45. As the 15-1 chance continued to show the way, the even-money choice Explora pressured her to the outside through a :47.70 half. With the front-running duo continuing to slug it out up front, 11-1 chance Counting Stars was moving with the most momentum and swept up into a wide third as the favorite surged to the front.
With the favorite letting loose in the stretch, Counting Stars did her best to narrow the gap, but she came up a 3/4-length short of Explora at the wire. Sneaky Good held on for third.
The Honeybee offered 105 total points (50-25-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks. The Honeybee, which carried a record purse in 2026, was the final local prep for the $1-million GII Fantasy Stakes Mar. 27.
A first-out winner at Del Mar last summer, she finished runner-up in the GI Del Mar Debutante before annexing the GII Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita. Second in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Oct. 31, the dark bay was an impressive 5 1/4-length winner of the Santa Ynez Stakes on Jan. 10. In her most recent start, she was runner-up in Santa Anita’s one-mile Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 8.
“Bobby [Baffert] told us when he bought her [Explora] that he thought she was special,” said Pegram. “You know the farther she goes, the better. She was finally able to stretch her legs today and she did her job. We knew after her debut she was special and she was in the right place with the right guy on her back and we got the money.”
Pedigree Note:
Explora, a $22,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland September, flourished into a $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile buy for the well-established partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.
The filly is out of minor winner Collections Choice, the mare produced a colt by Beau Liam before being expatriated to Korea after bringing $24,000 at Keeneland November in 2024.
Explora’s breeder, Mesingw Farm, purchased Collections Choice with the Honeybee winner in utero for $75,000 at Keeneland November in 2022.
Second dam, MGISP Model (Giant’s Causeway), is a daughter of G1 Sagitta 1000 Guineas runner-up Snowfire (GB) (Machiavellian).
Sunday, Oaklawn Park
HONEYBEE S.-GIII, $750,000, Oaklawn, 3-1, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:43.52, ft.
1–EXPLORA, 121, f, 3, by Blame
1st Dam: Collections Choice, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Model, by Giant’s Causeway
3rd Dam: Snowfire (GB), by Machiavellian
($22,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo ’25 EASMAY).
O-Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, & Paul Weitman; B-Mesingw
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat. $416,250.
Lifetime Record: MGISP, 7-4-3-0, $1,064,250. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree
or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Counting Stars, 121, f, 3, Honor A. P.–Paynterbynumbers, by
Paynter. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($13,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP;
$150,000 2yo ’25 OBSAPR). O-West Point Thoroughbreds;
B-HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud (KY); T-Mark E. Casse.
$138,750.
3–Sneaky Good, 119, f, 3, Into Mischief–Gale, by Tonalist.
($450,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP). O-NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods;
B-Andrew N. Warren (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $69,375.
Margins: 3/4, 2, 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 11.30, 4.00.
Also Ran: Search Party, Knickleandime, Grace Is Free, Classic Glide, Taken by the Wind, Take Charge Macy. Scratched: Newtown Pike.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.