HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hoosier Philly came between horses into the stretch and went on to a 3 3/4-length win over Absinthe in an impressive effort Saturday in the $200,000 Dig A Diamond Stakes at Oaklawn Park. It was another half-length back in third to Bluelightspecial. The Dig A Diamond was for fillies and mares at a mile, and ended at the sixteenth pole. It shared a card with the $200,000 Bachelor won by Valentine Candy. Hoosier Philly ($4.40) was moving back to two turns for her second start of the year and was content to stalk the pace set by Stellar Lily, who took the field through an opening quarter in 23.32 seconds, a half-mile in 47.53 and six furlongs in 1:13.03 while under pressure from Bluelightspecial. Hoosier Philly stalked in fourth along the rail, had to wait for racing room late on the final turn, came between rivals into the stretch and went on to cover the distance on a track rated good in 1:39.33. Hoosier Philly was in hand late under jockey Rafael Bejarano, who was aboard for Gold Standard Racing and trainer Tom Amoss. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “Going into the race Bill Stone, the owner, and myself, were talking about confidence,” Amoss said. “We’ve always known this filly is very talented. She’s shown it in the mornings. I think her last three breezes were all bullet works. But it’s about getting it right in the afternoon. Today was a terrific steppingstone for us and I hope we can continue moving forward. “She ran a great race. She had to be patient, as did her rider, who did a good job of doing that and then got through, and they kicked clear nicely on the end. I was really proud of her.” Amoss said in a few days Hoosier Philly will ship back to Kentucky. Hoosier Philly earned $108,000 for the win to improve her career record to 5 for 12 for earnings of $845,660. She is a 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief. Valentine Candy in Bachelor Valentine Candy won his fourth stakes race of the Oaklawn Park meet when he put in a determined stretch bid to catch Frost Free and go on to a 1 1/2-length victory in the $200,000 Bachelor. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back in third to Cats by Five. The Bachelor was a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds. Steve Asmussen, who trains Valentine Candy, has now won a record nine editions of the Bachelor. Valentine Candy ($4.80) sat just off the pace set by Frost Free, who took the field through an opening quarter in 21.68 seconds and a half-mile in 45.17. Valentine Candy took after the leader into the stretch and moved past Frost Free in the later stages while covering the distance on a track rated “good” in 1:10.18. Ricardo Santana Jr. was aboard for the partnership of Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm and Whispering Oak Farm. “This is a super horse,” Santana told Oaklawn publicity. “I just waited as long as I could because he’s got such a short kick. I just waited turning for him. I wasn’t worried about the horse on the lead. When I asked him, he responded well.” Valentine Candy’s stakes tear this meet at Oaklawn began with the Advent on opening day Dec. 8. He proceeded to win the Renaissance on Dec. 31 and the Ozark on Feb. 10 ahead of the Bachelor. Valentine Candy is 5 for 9 for earnings of $477,875. He is a son of Justify and he was bred by Pine Creek. Asmussen’s winners in the Bachelor date back to 1996 with his first major stakes horse, Valid Expectations. He also won the race with Lantana Mob (2008), Holy Boss (2015), Counterforce (2016), Mitole (2018), Nitrous (2019), Jaxon Traveler (2021) and Ryvit (2023). Racing resumes Sunday.  :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.