HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Triple Crown nominee Amy’s Challenge could burst onto the Kentucky Oaks scene Saturday. The undefeated multiple stakes winner will be making her two-turn debut in the Grade 3, $200,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park.
“She may improve when she runs two turns Saturday,” trainer Mac Robertson said. “She’s got a lot of talent.”
Direct Dial, who ran a close third in last month’s $125,000 Gazebo at Oaklawn, is slated to make his next start in the $65,000 Jim’s Orbit division of the Texas Stallion Stakes at Sam Houston, trainer Steve Asmussen said. The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds by nominated stallions runs on the final night of the meet, March 17.
Direct Dial won a division of the Texas Stallion Stakes in November at Retama Park. Earlier in his career, he ran second in the $150,000 Tremont at Belmont Park. Direct Dial races for his breeder, Will Farish.
Tough to Bee, dead-heat winner of last year’s Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Derby for Quarter Horses, will launch his 4-year-old season Friday night at Remington Park in the Grade 2, $50,000 Eastex. The Eastex is one of two stakes on the first card of the meet, which also includes the $65,000 Mighty Deck Three. The 50-date season runs through June 2.
The Eastex is the first start since October for Tough to Bee. He also won the $100,000 First Down Dash last year at Ruidoso over champion Imperial Eagle.
Hyper Piper will be looking for her third win of the Delta Downs meet on Friday night, when she starts as one of the top contenders in the $75,000 Owner Appreciation Distaff.
The mile race for fillies and mares who have started at the meet is one of two stakes on the penultimate card of the season. The other is the $80,000 Azalea, which is for 3-year-old fillies bred in Louisiana.
Remsen winner Catholic Boy, second in the Sam Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 10 in the first of his two Kentucky Derby preps this year, will use the Florida Derby on March 31 at Gulfstream Park as his final Derby prep, John Panagot, the racing manager for majority owner Robert LaPenta, said Tuesday.
"Timing-wise it's the best, and everybody on the team seems to agree," Panagot said.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – There was a barn fire Tuesday morning at Oaklawn, but it was contained to the dorm rooms and there were no injuries to humans or horses, according to track spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyt.
“All humans and horses are accounted for,” Hoyt said.
Hoyt said the fire was in the Swaps barn and it started about 5:45 a.m. Central. She said the local fire department responded, but also those in the stable area were quick to help.
John Velazquez will ride Hopeful winner Sporting Chance in the Rebel on March 17 at Oaklawn, his agent, Angel Cordero Jr., said Sunday.
Sporting Chance, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, finished third under Luis Saez in the Feb. 19 Southwest, his first start at 3.
Saez is riding unbeaten Magnum Moon in the Rebel for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Sporting Chance worked a mile Monday at Oaklawn, covering the distance on a sealed, muddy track in 1:41.40.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The record rainfall during the early part of Oaklawn Park’s meet has hardly dampened wagering. Average daily handle from all sources is up 12 percent over the first half of the meet a year ago, according to figures Oaklawn provided at the request of Daily Racing Form.
The first half of the Oaklawn meet ran 27 dates from Jan. 12 through Feb. 25. During that period the track handled an average of $3,342,675 a day from all sources. A year ago, average daily handle during the first half of the meet was $2,972,256.
Monomoy Girl, who was joined atop the heap of Kentucky Oaks hopefuls this week by Midnight Bisou and Fly So High, had her first work since an impressive win in the Feb. 17 Rachel Alexandra Stakes when she went a half-mile in 49.80 seconds Sunday.
“She breezed fantastic,” said trainer Brad Cox, who has been pleased with the way Monomoy Girl came back from her 3-year-old debut in the Rachel Alexandra.
Cox reiterated that the plan with Monomoy Girl is to pass the Fair Grounds Oaks and race instead in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland.
