Walk Away Kaye runs hard late to win Rainbow Miss
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Walk Away Kaye closed through the stretch to catch pacesetter Cuda Cutie for a half-length win in the $150,000 Rainbow Miss on Friday at Oaklawn Park. It was another 4 1/4 lengths back in third to Rockin the Lane.
The Rainbow Miss was a six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies bred in Arkansas. It’s part of a weekend spotlighting the state’s breeding program, as Friday night is the annual Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association banquet and Saturday brings the $150,000 Rainbow.
Walk Away Kaye ($4.80) was the favorite for a record that included a runner-up finish to Counting Stars, eventual winner of the Grade 2, $1 million Fantasy, in the Astral Spa overnight stakes in December at Oaklawn.
She had a few horses beat early in the Rainbow Miss, as Cuda Cutie took the field through an opening quarter in 21.88 seconds and a half-mile in 46.30 while pushed along by Rockin the Lane. Walk Away Kaye moved up on the backstretch and the turn, came six wide into the stretch, and was determined to get past the leader while covering the distance on a fast track in 1:12.74.
Erik Asmussen was aboard for breeder and owner JRita Young Thoroughbreds and trainer Danny Pish.
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“Just super blessed for the opportunity to ride a really nice Arky-bred filly,” Asmussen said in statement distributed by Oaklawn publicity. “Mr. Pish has done a fantastic job with her. She does everything perfectly. She’s so straightforward. Three-quarters might be a touch short for her, but she’s just so talented that she’s good enough to win – and just more distance the better.
“I got squeezed away from there, pretty bad away from the gates. I left her more than I wanted her to do. Just tried to stay confident. I believed I was on the best horse in the race and she showed it.”
Walk Away Kaye earned $78,750 for the win to improve her career record to 2 for 5 for earnings of $159,004. She is a daughter of Honest Mischief.
The race week closes out Saturday. There is no racing Sunday at Oaklawn in observance of Easter.
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