HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has now won the Honeybee at Oaklawn Park a record seven times, but Lemon Muffin charted some new territory in the race Saturday. She won her maiden and two-turn debut in the Grade 3, $400,000 race, picked up 50 points for the Kentucky Oaks, and gave her rider, Keith Asmussen, his first graded stakes victory. Lemon Muffin was 28-1, and she rewarded those who backed her in her sixth career start with a payoff of $58.20. “She’s a nice filly, got a nice future,” Lukas said. Lemon Muffin settled in fifth as Edistrudis and In Just My Heels raced on the lead through fractions of 23.60 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.32 for the half-mile and 1:13.87. Lemon Muffin picked off some rivals on the final turn, came four wide into the stretch, and went on to cover the 1 1/16 miles on a track rated fast in 1:45.60. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “The two-turns, it’s right in her wheelhouse,” Lukas said. “It’s what she needs.” Following the race there was an objection and brief inquiry into the stretch run involving Lemon Muffin, who came over on Tapit Jenallie. The stewards made no change to the order of finish. Lemon Muffin (84 Beyer Speed Figure) was a 3 1/2-length winner over Tapit Jenallie, while it was a half-length back in third to favorite West Omaha. Neom Beach was a neck back in fourth, while it was a nose more in fifth to Midshipman’s Dance. The second- through fifth-place finishers also earned Kentucky Oaks points, on a scale of 25-15-10-5. Lemon Muffin came into the Honeybee off four straight runner-up finishes in maiden special weight races, between Churchill Downs and Oaklawn. She is a daughter of Collected and races for Aaron Sones.  Asmussen, who is the son of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, loved the finish from Lemon Muffin. The filly was his second mount in a graded stakes race.  “She broke ultra-alert, settled very comfortably in the first turn,” Keith Asmussen told publicity at Oaklawn. “Down the backside, I had the biggest smile on my face because she was like a wave and she was begging me to push the button. I was trying to be as patient as possible. When I turned her loose, she exploded.” Lukas won the first four runnings of the Honeybee, from 1988-1991, with the respective Lost Kitty, Imaginary Lady, Train Robbery and Be Cool, according to records from Oaklawn. Lukas struck again in 2007 with Time’s Mistress, and also won again in 2022 with eventual Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath. The next race in Oaklawn’s series for 3-year-old fillies is the Grade 3, $750,000 Fantasy on March 30. Lemon Muffin has now earned $305,250. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.