Deserved publicity came Oaklawn's way when colts such as American Pharoah and Curlin, to name a few, won big elsewhere after prepping in Hot Springs.
Three-year-old fillies sometimes get overlooked, as often happens, though 2020 proved a glorious exception on the local front. The Kentucky Oaks and the Preakness had different Oaklawn-raced stakes winners, matching the 2009 home-and-road sweep of Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
On the last weekend of racing before the coronavirus pandemic, Shedaresthedevil benefited from Joe Talamo's patient ride to win the Grade 3 Honeybee. Oaklawn fans knew her from an allowance second to Bonny South, both trained by Brad Cox, earlier in the season. They had a rooting interest with Staton Flurry, of Hot Springs, one of the Honeybee winner's owners.
Winning a second Grade 3 race in Indiana, Shedaresthedevil peaked on the first Friday in September, showing a sustained burst of speed throughout the rescheduled Kentucky Oaks. In so doing, she avenged an Oaklawn defeat to Swiss Skydiver, another daughter of Daredevil, in the Grade 3 Fantasy.
"That was a special day for a lot of people," Flurry remembers. He and his mother, Dorothy, operate a parking lot across from Oaklawn, the son having scored graded victories as an owner with turf star Mr. Misunderstood (the only grass running of the Super Derby included). Shedaresthedevil is targeting a March 13 return in Oaklawn's Grade 2 Azeri.
Oaklawn was back in the headlines when Swiss Skydiver bettered his second against males in the Grade 2 Blue Grass with an upset in the Oct. 3 Preakness. With a clutch ride by two-time Oaklawn jockey champion Robby Albarado, Swiss Skydiver outlegged Kentucky Derby winner Authentic down the Pimlico stretch.
Rather than face males again in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, for which she was eligible as Preakness winner, Swiss Skydiver went in the $2 million Distaff at Keeneland. A stumbling start cost her any chance in a race against Monomoy Girl, finishing seventh to the 2019 race winner. A frequent traveler last year, Swiss Skydiver may appear next at Santa Anita in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile March 13.
In a road show of excellence that included a Grade 1 romp in the Alabama at Saratoga, Swiss Skydiver took championship honors among 3-year-old fillies, rewarding trainer Ken McPeek's work in a pandemic year
McPeek sends out two more Florida shippers today in the Honeybee with Oliviaofthedesert and Tabor Hall. Seven fillies run a mile and sixteenth with 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the winner and 20, 10 and 5 to the next three spots. Ninth of 10 races on a card starting at 1 p.m., the Honeybee is set for 5:10 p.m.
A week after winning locally with champions Essential Quality and Monomoy Girl, Cox sends off Sun Path, the 5-2 program favorite in the silks of owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms, and Coach, a troubled Oaklawn second last time in the Martha Washington.
Will's Secret, with 10 points for winning the mile race Jan. 30, goes back for Arkansas owner Willis Horton with 60-year-old Jon Court keeping the mount for trainer Dallas Stewart.
"She's doing good," Stewart said. "She's a nice, honest filly and easy to train -- just an easy keeper. Nice filly."
Completing the field are Willful Woman and Pauline's Pearl, both trained by Steve Asmussen, and Absolute Anna. Willful Woman, another Asmussen trainee, is a half-sister to Ever So Clever, fifth in the 2017 Honeybee before winning the Fantasy.
Bringing $320,000 at the September 2019 Keeneland yearling sale, Oliviaofthedesert shows a Dec. 18 Remington Park stakes victory. David Cabrera keeps the mount on the daughter of Preakness winner Bernardini and past Oaklawn champion David Cohen rides Tabor Hall.
"I'm glad to have David back up," McPeek said, referring to Cabrera. "He did a marvelous job on Olivia (in Oklahoma). David Cohen's won the Travers for me, so I know I can trust his work."
Sun Path, by Munnings, tries to redeem herself for a fourth-place clinker as odds-on favorite in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds.
"Sun Path's been training extremely well," Cox said. "I have really no excuse or reason for her dull performance last time. I was kind of taken aback by that. She came out of it well. She's breezed tremendous at the Fair Grounds."
Joe Talamo rides Sun Path while Florent Geroux climbs on 4-1 program choice Coach, whose only previous loss before the Martha Washington came to the Cox-trained Travel Column in November's Grade 2 Golden Rod at Churchill Downs. Coach breezed a half-mile in 48.60 seconds here last Sunday but was affected by the 11 days of training lost to weather.
"Coach has obviously missed some training," Cox said. "We'll kind of see how things go."