Lukas cooks up a winner with Lemon Muffin

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas apparently has an outstanding recipe for lemon muffins.

It calls for a handful of runner-up finishes in maiden special weight sprint races, then a move to two turns for a major prep for the Kentucky Oaks. After about a minute and 45 seconds on the track, the batter will produce one standout Lemon Muffin.

That was the case Saturday, when Lemon Muffin won her maiden in the Grade 3, $400,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park. In the process she picked up 50 points for the Kentucky Oaks.

Lemon Muffin rallied from sixth for a resounding, 3 1/2-length win. For the effort in the 1 1/16-mile race, which she covered the distance in 1:45.60, she earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 84.

“The acceleration on the end was very good,” Lukas said Sunday. “She was dying to do that.

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“I think we’ll look right at the Fantasy. Her numbers are going to be real good off that effort, and we’ll give her a chance to be a good horse and let her disappoint us.”

The Grade 3, $750,000 Fantasy on March 30 is Oaklawn’s final points race for the Kentucky Oaks.

Lukas won the Kentucky Oaks in 2022 with Honeybee winner Secret Oath.

Lemon Muffin is a daughter of Collected and brings a winning attitude into her training in a quality that sets her apart, said Lukas.

“She just wants to be a racehorse,” he said. “Some of them don’t. She really does. It makes a huge difference.”

Lemon Muffin races for Aaron Sones and ranks first on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard, according to Churchill Downs.

Band of Gold, who was coming off a fast-closing win in the Martha Washington, the first local points race for the Kentucky Oaks, finished sixth in the Honeybee.

“She’s fine,” McPeek said Sunday. “It didn’t really set up all that well for us. I think she’s a good filly, but that race last time set up really good for her and this one didn’t. But she’s a good one and we’ll regroup and try again.”

McPeek said the Fantasy will be a consideration for Band of Gold, as would the Bourbonette at Turfway and the Fair Grounds Oaks.

“I’m not sure yet,” he said Sunday.

Band of Gold sits 10th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 21 points.

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