Blinkers off for Beautician in Honeybee

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. Trainer Ken McPeek has brought Beautician from Florida to run this weekend at Oaklawn. The runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, she will be removing blinkers Saturday for the Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee. The 1 1/16-mile race is the local prep for the Grade 2, $300,000 Fantasy.

Beautician added blinkers for the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park in her last start Dec. 20 and finished seventh as the favorite.

Albarado, who was aboard Beautician when she finished three-quarters of a length behind future champion She Be Wild in the Breeders' Cup, will reunite with the filly for the Honeybee. Earlier in her career, Beautician was second in the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga.

The right style to succeed

Connect to Me has tactical speed and that might serve her well Friday in the ninth race, a $35,000 optional claiming sprint for fillies and mares that has second-level allowance conditions. She could get a nice tracking trip behind a few of her eight rivals, including Fabulous Babe, a front-runner who drew the rail, and Queen Ernestine, a speed horse making her first start since February 2009.

Connect to Me made her first start in three months last out and was third, beaten a length, in a $40,000 claiming sprint at Oaklawn on Feb. 19. Corey Nakatani has the mount for trainer Steve Hobby.