Honey Pants well prepped for The Very One
Honey Pants, thrice stakes-placed from 12 lifetime starts, is the morning-line favorite for the $100,000 The Very One at five furlongs on turf.
Trained by Christophe Clement, Honey Pants prepped for the race with a victory in a second-level allowance with a $62,500 claiming option at Gulfstream Park on April 9. She earned a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure while wearing blinkers for the first time.
“Irad Ortiz rode her the time before that,” said Clement. “He told us we should try blinkers and he was right.”
Honey Pants breezed a half-mile in 48.88 seconds at Belmont Park on May 10.
“We gave her plenty of time because the last race was such a strong performance,” said Clement. “She’s better since we turned her back in distance.”
Ex-claimer Payntdembluesaway has won 9 of 15 starts for trainer Jane Cibelli and owns more speed than Honey Pants. The 6-year-old Paynter mare was an easy winner of the Lightning City at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 19.
“She had a very serious foot issue earlier in her career that took forever to get over,” said Cibelli. “Each time she runs, she gets a little bit better. We started her out cheap, tried to get some confidence in her, and it’s worked out.”
Cibelli was pleased when Payntdembluesaway drew post 10 in the 12-horse The Very One. “She’s very predictable the way she runs. She likes to be on the outside.”
Cibelli mentioned that Payntdembluesaway will also be cross-entered in Saturday’s Politely Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Phantom Vision only raced four times in 2021, culminating in a seventh-place finish in last year’s Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico.
“She stepped on her shoe right before the riders were up and she wound up getting an abscess on that spot,” trainer Maker said. “It kept re-occurring, so we gave her some time to get over it.”
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Phantom Vision won her first two starts this year, both five-furlong events over Gulfstream’s Tapeta surface. She finished eighth in the Giant’s Causeway Stakes on turf at Keeneland on April 16.
“The competition was pretty strong,” said Maker. “I think the little drop in class will do her justice.”
Princess Kokachin, Dendrobia, Can the Queen, Door Buster, Whispurring Kitten, Epic Idea, Spun Glass, and Adelaide Miss also are entered. Hey Mamaluke is main-track only.