HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Haulin Ice will be shipping in from South Florida for the $250,000 Matron on Friday at Oaklawn Park, but in many ways she is defending her home court. In her last start, a victory, Haulin Ice became the first Arkansas-bred to hit $1 million in earnings. The milestone improved her record at Oaklawn to 7 for 9 with earnings of $695,300. In total, she has won 11 of her 20 starts. Haulin Ice was crowned the Arkansas-bred of the Year for 2024 by the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association. She will be awarded the title once again for 2025 during an April 3 banquet at Oaklawn. “To see what she’s done is quite remarkable,” Saffie Joseph Jr. said of the multiple Grade 3 winner he trains for a partnership led by C2 Racing Stable. “When we bought her we thought we were buying a stakes filly, but we never envisioned she would take us on this ride.” The Matron, which is sharing a card with the Grade 2, $1 million Fantasy, is a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares. It drew a strong cast of nine, with Zeitlos making her first start since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Me and Molly McGee exits a runner-up finish to Splendora – winner of the BC Filly and Mare Sprint – in the Grade 2 D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita. Asternia and Jersey Pearl are looking to add to their list of stakes wins, while Foie Gras seeks to win her third straight race this meet. :: Live racing action at Oaklawn Park! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Haulin Ice won last year’s Matron and enters Friday’s renewal with the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 98. She earned the number for her “million-dollar run” in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Stakes on Feb. 20. Haulin Ice won by 11 3/4 lengths, while covering six furlongs in 1:08.75. The time is a meet best for the distance. “She ran big last time and she seems to have done well since the race,” Joseph said of Haulin Ice, who is based at Palm Meadows training center in South Florida. Francisco Arrieta, who rode Haulin Ice at Oaklawn even before she was purchased by her current connections in the spring of 2024, has the mount from post 6. “Her game is speed,” Joseph said. “Her game is on the lead, or pressing. Hopefully, we’re not going to change that. She runs well for Arrieta, and he knows her better than us. So, that’s going to be the plan.” Haulin Ice’s owner partnership includes WSS Racing and Agave Racing Stable. Grade 2 winner Zeitlos closed from last for fourth in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint, which has become a key race. Splendora came back to win the Lukas in her next start with a Beyer of 96. Third-place finisher Hope Road returned to win the Grade 3 Bayakoa at Del Mar. Zeitlos has been working steadily at Fair Grounds since Feb. 9. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 3 for Peter Leidel and trainer Steve Asmussen. Foie Gras has won back-to-back overnight stakes this meet and could get a stalking trip after breaking from post 9. Wondrous is an up-and-coming sort. She is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Maxfield. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.