Wakuda will attempt to win her third consecutive race Sunday at Oaklawn Park in the $150,000 Mockingbird, a stakes that last year produced a Breeders’ Cup winner in Shisospicy. The Mockingbird, which is for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs, closes Oaklawn’s holiday meet. Following a break of 25 days, racing will resume Jan. 30 for the classic meet that continues through the close of the season on May 2. Last year’s Mockingbird served as the 3-year-old debut for Shisospicy, who ran second before going on to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November. The third edition of the Mockingbird on Sunday drew stakes winners Wakuda and Woodstock, as well as the stakes-placed runners Evolution and Prowess. Wakuda began her streak Sept. 28, when she won a maiden special weight sprint by a neck at Remington Park. From there, she took down the $100,000 Zia Park Princess at six furlongs on Nov. 25. :: Live racing action at Oaklawn Park! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “I know it’s a step up in company, but off her stakes win at Zia, she deserves the opportunity,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. Joel Rosario has the mount on Wakuda from post 4. The Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred has tactical speed and could be prominent from the start or stalk such rivals as Knickleandime, Evolution, and Grace Is Free. Woodstock won the $50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial over 6 1/2 furlongs in September at Remington and went on to run third in the $250,000 Myrtlewood at Keeneland. Francisco Arrieta has the mount from post 7 for trainer Mike Maker. Woodstock has been effective stalking the pace and could get a nice trip off a few of these, including Wakuda. Evolution was stakes-placed last out when third in the $102,000 Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs. As a rule, horses coming off that surface have fared well over the track at Oaklawn. Earlier in her career, Evolution was fourth behind multiple stakes winner Lennilu in the Desert Vixen division of the Florida Sire Stakes. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount for trainer John Ortiz. Prowess was third in the $197,000 Debutante in August at Ellis Park. She enters off a fourth-place finish in a first-level allowance sprint Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs. Knickleandime is cutting back to one turn after wiring a field of maidens over 1 1/16 miles on Nov. 28 at Churchill. Since that start, she’s worked back a half-mile in 47.20 seconds at Oaklawn in a move that was the fastest of 138 at the distance the morning of Dec. 27. Walk Away Kay was second in the $135,000 Astral Spa overnight stakes on Dec. 14 at Oaklawn. The winner of the race, Counting Stars, came back in her next start to win the $150,000 Year’s End over the local strip. Walk Away Kay is an Arkansas-bred who has a nice late kick and can take advantage if the pace is hot Sunday. Oaklawn’s racing department set a goal of filling at least one stakes or overnight stakes for all 13 cards of the holiday meet, and that objective was fulfilled. This is the first season Oaklawn has split its dates between a holiday and classic meet. For the final holiday meet card that features 11 races with 131 head entered, there is a special early post of noon Central. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.