HOT SPRINGS -- The Grade III Honeybee Stakes highlights a double-feature nine-race program at Oaklawn Park today.
Seven have entered the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee for 3-year-old fillies, a race for $200,000 and 85 points toward qualification for the Kentucky Oaks, including the winners of this season's Martha Washington and Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn. Six have entered the $125,000, 6-furlong Hot Springs Stakes for horses 4-years-old and up, including Whitmore, the winner of last season's Hot Springs and Grade III Count Fleet Handicap at Oaklawn.
The Hot Springs has a scheduled post of 3:38 p.m and the Honeybee at 4:39 p.m.
Red Ruby, by Tiznow, won the 1-mile Martha Washington on Feb. 10 and is the 9-5 morning-line favorite. Amy's Challenge, by Artie Schiller, is undefeated in three career starts, including the 6-furlong Dixie Belle Stakes on Jan. 20. A start in the Honeybee would mark the first attempt for Amy's Challenge in a race beyond 6 furlongs and around two turns.
"She's got a lot of upside," said Mac Robertson, trainer of Amy's Challenge. "Hopefully she'll move forward Saturday, but whether she'll go long on the dirt or long on the grass, I don't know yet. All she's done is sprinted on the dirt. She's done awfully well doing that, but maybe she'll go long on the dirt and maybe she won't. I don't know, but hopefully she'll improve Saturday and go from there. The first time you ask them to do something different, there's an unknown."
From the rail out, projected starters for the Honeybee are Sassy Sienna with jockey Gary Stevens; Stronger than Ever with Ricardo Santana Jr.; Cosmic Burst with Richard Eramia; Bo Peep with Jon Court; Red Ruby with Robby Albarado; Amy's Challenge with Jareth Loveberry; and Rahway with C.J. McMahon.
Whitmore, by Pleasantly Perfect, was among the costars of Oaklawn's 3-year-old Road to the Kentucky Derby series in 2016, when he was runner-up in the Southwest and Rebel stakes and third in the Arkansas Derby. Trainer Ron Moquett returned Whitmore to sprints late in 2016.
"He always had such natural speed," Moquett said. "He could cruise so easy. There was no debate about it."
Projected starters from the rail out in the Hot Springs are Operation Stevie with jockey Rodney Prescott; Warriors Club with Stevens; Whitmore with Santana; Wynn Time with Ramon Vazquez; Ivan Fallunovalot with Court; and Wilbo with David Cabrera.
Whitmore is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Wilbo, a son of Candy Ride trained by Chris Hartman, is the 5-2 second choice, with multiple stakes winner Ivan Fallunovalot listed as the 3-1 third choice.
Wilbo won the King Cotton Stakes by two lengths over Ivan Fallunovalot at Oaklawn on Feb. 3.
Ivan Fallunovalot, trained by Tom Howard, finished second in the Hot Springs Stakes in 2015 and 2017.
"These are good horses with good trainers and good jockeys," Moquett said. "These guys, you can never take them lightly, especially in the midwest going sprint distances, because these guys are good at it."
Red Ruby, trained by Kellyn Gorder, won the Martha Washington by 2 1/2 lengths over Sassy Sienna on Feb. 10. Cosmic Burst finished third, 6 3/4 lengths behind the winner.
Amy's Challenge overcame a duel nearly the length of the homestretch to win the Dixie Belle over Mia Mischief, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. Robertson said he briefly considered entering Amy's Challenge in the Martha Washington but decided it was too much to ask.
"I thought it would be a lot for her to follow that hard race in January with another hard race in February," Robertson said. "Then to ask her to it again in March and again in April and again in May just seemed like too much to me. That just seemed to make more practical sense to me than to ask her to run hard races five months in a row."
Amy's Challenge had three published works in the seven weeks between the Dixie Belle and today, including a mile breezed in 1:13.8 over a fast track on Feb. 27 under an exercise rider who Robertson said weighed 150 to 160 pounds. Amy's Challenge will carry 117 pounds in the Honeybee.
"That work was pretty stellar," Robertson said. "I think she'll run a good race, but I don't want to put too much pressure on her. I think she'll run well, but if she doesn't, it won't be the end of the world."
Sports on 03/10/2018