HOT SPRINGS -- With four combined meet victories, Haulin Ice and Hush It Honey meet for the first time today at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.
What better setting than the $150,000 Rainbow Miss, the season's centerpiece for Arkansas-bred 3-year-old fillies?
The track linemaker was divided between a pair of two-time track winners, making Haulin Ice even money and Hush It Honey 6-5 in the eight-horse field. Whetting the excitement is their side-by-side location in the starting gate and that both want the lead.
it shapes up as a brisk battle over six furlongs between a March foal (Haulin Ice) trained by Lindsey Schultz and an April arrival (Hush It Honey) trained and co-owned by Randy Morse.
A Dec. 31 winner on Oaklawn's all-juvenile card, Hush It Honey was overmatched going long against open rivals in the $250,000 Martha Washington, finishing last of nine by more than 27 lengths Feb. 3. But she looked comfy against state-breds when wiring her March 21 opponents by nearly five lengths. Rafael Bejarano stays aboard the daughter of Too Much Bling, whose listed breeders include Hot Springs resident Staton Flurry.
Francisco Arrieta replaces Nik Juarez on Haulin Ice after the Coal Front filly scored back-to-back frontrunning victories.
"She's very fast," trainer Lindsay Schultz said of Haulin Ice. "She trains as good as she runs, and she's always shown that she was fast. She did have to run harder in her last start than in the start before and is running back in three weeks, but she's doing good. I'm excited."
Morse sends out rail-sitter Appealing Addie, who closed ground in a Dec. 8 maiden victory but broke poorly next time out. Meet leader Cristian Torres stays aboard with Randy Patterson owning this one outright and partnering with Morse on the other race starter.
John Alexander Ortiz sends last-out winner Sunnyandseventy, switching to Martin Chuan at jockey, while Ramon Vazquez keeps the mount on Dec. 31 winner Sthenic for Brett Creighton. Three maidens complete the Rainbow Miss field , which is the eighth race on the 11-race program and set for 4:27 p.m.
Two races later at approximately 5:40 p.m. comes the $150,000 Rainbow for Arkansas-bred 3-year-old males. Though they have catchy names with Razorback connotations, Rocket Sanders -- assumedly named for former University of Arkansas running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders -- and Touchdown Arkansas loom as big prices in the field of 11.
With four horses 9-2 or lower on the morning line, bettors may have difficulty choosing between Flurry-owned Twenty to Park (early 5-2 favorite) and last-out meet winners Landlord, Zippy Mark and Strike Ridge. Nine entrants have raced only at Oaklawn and four are maidens with Robert Cline-trained homebred Ranch Hand a first-time starter.
Oaklawn's nine-race card Sunday, replacing an early-season program lost to winter weather, features the inaugural running of the $150,000 Eclipse, six furlongs for older horses without a stakes victory in 2023-24. Steve Asmussen-trained Gun Echo is the likely favorite.