Oaks Updates

CENTRAL/LUKAS ENTERS OAKS PICTURE AS TIME’S MISTRESS TAKES HONEYBEE – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) four times, but was on the outside looking in on this year’s Oaks scene until Charles Kidder’s Time’s Mistress scored an upset victory in Friday’s $100,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

The daughter of Mr. Greeley wrestled the lead from favored Devil House on the far turn and drew away in the stretch under jockey John Jacinto to win the 1 1/16-mile race by commanding 4 3/4-lengths over the late running High Heels.  The 12 -1 shot covered the distance over a “fast” track in 1:45.49.

Grace Happens finished third and Devil House, the 9-5 favorite, saw her five-race winning streak come to a halt with a fifth-place finish.

The Honeybee is a prep for both the $250,000 Fantasy (Grade II) at the Hot Springs, Ark. track on April 6 and the Kentucky Oaks (GI) at Churchill Downs on May 4.

The victory was the third in eight starts for Time’s Mistress, who had finished third to Devil House in both the Martha Washington and Dixie Belle at Oaklawn.     

Lukas won the Kentucky Oaks with Blush With Pride (1982), Lucky Lucky Lucky (1984), Open Mind (1989) and Seaside Attraction (1990).

Last year’s Honeybee was won by Ermine, the eventual Kentucky Oaks runner-up.    

SOUTHEAST/ AUTOBAHN GIRL FACES COTTON BLOSSOM IN FLORIDA – Live Oak Plantation’s Autobahn Girl will be looking to further strengthen her credentials as a candidate for the Kentucky Oaks in Saturday’s $200,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, but will face an important test from a filly that was one of last year’s outstanding 2-year-olds.

The Nick Zito-trained daughter of A.P. Indy has won three straight races and four of her last five, but has yet to face a filly with the quality of Dogwood Stable’s Cotton Blossom.  The Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of Broken Vow, third to champion Dreaming of Anna in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), will make her 2007 debut in the 1 1/16-mile race.

Also in the field of eight is Ocala Breeders’ Sales Championship winner Dinner Break.

WEST/ASMUSSEN VS. BAFFERT AT SUNLAND – Sunday’s $200,000 WinStar/Sunland Park Oaks at New Mexico’s Sunland Park shapes up as a showdown between 3-year-old fillies trained by Steve Asmussen and Bob Baffert.

Asmussen’s Nice Inheritance could have the home field advantage after a recent win in the Island Fashion at the New Mexico track extended her current winning streak to four.  But Baffert will send Tough Tiz’s Sis from Southern California for the race.  The improving daughter of Tiznow overcame major traffic woes to win a Santa Anita allowance race last time out.

EAST/FIVE STAR DAYDREAM IN CICADA – Trainer Shug McGaughey believes that Stewart Armstrong’s Five Star Daydream has a future at longer distances, but the daughter of Five Star Day will make her 2007 debut in Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada (GIII) at six furlongs at Aqueduct.

Five Star Daydream rolled to three consecutive wins last fall before she finished third to Successful Outlook as the favorite in the Tempted (GIII) at Aqueduct.  McGaughey’s filly has been working steadily at Gulfstream Park and her rivals include Glacken’s Mark and Control System.

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