GIII Honeybee S.

'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) put in her last major workout for the GII Fantasy Stakes, covering five furlongs in :59.60 Sunday morning at Oaklawn under Ramon Vazquez. The 'Rising Star's' time was the fastest of 26 published at the distance, with clockers catching her galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 and seven furlongs in 1:26.80. The track was rated fast. "It was a strong five-eighths," said trainer John Ortiz. "We'll come back next week and give her a maintenance [half-mile]. She did it really well today." Entries will...

The GIII Honeybee S., rescheduled for one day due to cold weather at Oaklawn, figured to be the key GI Kentucky Oaks prep run so far this year. And it was. Our No. 1 in previous polls Muhimma (Munnings) ran well to finish third, but it was not enough for her to keep her top spot. Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy) was 10th and Look Forward (Bolt d'Oro) was seventh. Off those performances both have dropped out of the Top 10. This will be a big weekend for Oaks-bound...

The coach strikes again. Before seeing any past performances, if one was asked to guess Saturday morning before the day's races which trainer might break a maiden in a graded Kentucky Oaks points race while at the same time helping a young jockey get his first career graded score, odds are the first name off of most everyone's lips would be D. Wayne Lukas. The Hall of Famer, with his usual flair for the unconventional, sent out 28-1 Lemon Muffin (f, 3, Collected--Pelt, by Canadian Frontier) under Keith Asmussen to...

The massive deep freeze which crippled the second half of Oaklawn Park's January cards seems like a distant memory, as weekend weather in Hot Springs looks to punch through the upper 60s and into the lower 70s. The sunshine will be a welcome sight with points intended for passage to the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks ripe for the picking.   Timberlake Favorite Choice in Rebel The Arkansas series for the colts features another running of the GII Rebel S., which brings together a field of 13. The...

Since breaking her maiden two starts back over a sloppy track at Horseshoe Indy last fall and parlaying that into a win last time out in the Martha Washington S. over a wet-fast track at Oaklawn, Wet Paint (Blame) proved that her fondness for the off going was no fluke Saturday with a rousing win in the GIII Honeybee S. The new leader on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with the 50 points earned Saturday giving her a total of 70 points, the Godolphin homebred broke a beat slow...

Neither Arrogate, by Unbridled's Song, nor Laoban, a son of Uncle Mo, is still with us, but a first-crop daughter of the former and a second-crop son of the latter won graded Classic preps at Oaklawn over the weekend, underscoring the sire potential each had. Arrogate was seven when he was euthanized in 2020 and Laoban was eight when he was put down almost a year later. Arrogate's Secret Oath won the Glll Honeybee S. Saturday by 7 1/2 lengths for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, and she has the look...

Briland Farm homebred Secret Oath (Arrogate) laid down yet another marker on her march toward the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, streaking clear of her foes for a fluent 7 1/2-length romp in Saturday's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn Park. Prohibitively favored, with GII Golden Rod S. runner-up Yuugiri (Shackleford) the only other one the bettors wanted, Secret Oath had to be re-balanced after breaking a bit inward at the start and was a joint-last into the clubhouse turn as Optionality (Gun Runner) and Yuugiri matched motors up front. A fraction...

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas won the first four runnings of the GIII Honeybee S. starting way back in 1988, and after picking up another trophy in 2007, sits tied with fellow Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen at a record five wins in Oaklawn's penultimate GI Kentucky Oaks prep. Lukas looks well positioned to break that tie with Asmussen as he sends out expected heavy favorite Secret Oath (Arrogate) in Saturday's renewal. Briland Farm homebred Secret Oath was a second-out romper around two turns at Churchill on Halloween before finishing a...