Taraz to stay at Oaklawn and point to Honeybee

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Taraz, the undefeated filly nominated to the Triple Crown, will remain at Oaklawn Park and point to the Grade 3, $300,000 Honeybee for 3-year-old fillies on March 7, trainer Brad Cox said Monday.

The 1 1/16-mile race carries points for the Kentucky Oaks.

Taraz picked up 10 points for the Kentucky Oaks with her Saturday win in the $150,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn. She has now won the first three races of her career by a combined margin of more than 22 lengths.

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Cox said Taraz came out of the Martha Washington “great” and the decision was made to leave her in Arkansas, where Cox has a division, after discussions with breeder-owner Khalid Abdullah of Juddmonte Farms and manager Garrett O’Rourke.

Cox said Taraz needs to learn to settle more and he looks for a forward move off her wire-to-wire win in the Martha Washington, which marked her first start at two turns. For the effort, she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 85, two points below the career high of 87 she earned for a more than 11-length win in the Letellier Memorial at Fair Grounds.

-additional reporting by Marcus Hersh