2025.02.20 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Press Release
Compiled by Robert Yates

Contact: Chris Ho Vice President of Marketing

Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025

A weather-related audible has Quickick punting, er, running this weekend in Arkansas, instead of last weekend in Louisiana.

One of the nation’s top 2-year-old fillies of 2024, Quickick will make her 3-year-old debut in the $500,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) Sunday at Oaklawn for trainer Tom Amoss and owner Greg Tramontin (Greenwell Thoroughbreds).

The Honeybee will be run eight days after the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) for 3-year-old fillies on Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds. Like the Rachel Alexandra, the Honeybee is 1 1/16 miles and offers 105 total points to its top five finishers toward Kentucky Oaks starting eligibility.

Although Amoss has a division this season at Oaklawn, Fair Grounds is home, and Quickick has been based there after concluding her 2-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.

Amoss said the decision to head north was strictly timing.

“We gave her time off, by design, after the Breeders’ Cup,” Amoss said Monday afternoon. “I thought we would get ready a little quicker than we did. It hurt us when it snowed down here (Jan. 21), and we missed a few days. As much as I wanted to run down here and run her out of her stall, I didn’t feel like I had done quite enough with her. I wanted one more work. So, go to Plan B and go to Oaklawn.”

Quickick completed major preparations for the Honeybee by working 5 furlongs in 1:01.60 Feb. 15. It was the fourth published workout since Jan. 29 for Quickick, who is from the first crop of millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner McKinzie. She is out of Oaklawn stakes winner Graeme Six.

Purchased for $550,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Quickick has a 1-1-2 record from four starts and earnings of $364,000.

Before the Breeders’ Cup, Quickick broke her maiden going seven furlongs Sept. 1 at Saratoga and finished third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by eventual Eclipse Award winner Immersive, in the $600,000 Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 4 at Keeneland.

Quickick has been ridden in all four starts by Dylan Davis, the winningest rider on the New York Racing Association circuit last year. Davis, who has never ridden at Oaklawn, is named on Quickick for the Honeybee. Davis is based this winter at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

“It’s an endorsement that Dylan’s coming in to ride her,” Amoss said. “Dylan has said since he got on her at Saratoga before she made her first start: ‘I want to stay with this filly.’ He won the title at (Belmont at the Big A) after that. I mean, Dylan doesn’t have to stay on this horse if he didn’t think she was a good horse.”

Quickick (12-1 on the morning line) is scheduled to break from post 5 in the projected 13-horse field. Other Honeybee entrants include unbeaten Grade 2 winner Muhimma, the 7-5 program favorite, and Take Charge Milady and Quietside, 1-2, respectively, in the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 25. The 1 1/16-mile Martha Washington was Oaklawn’s first of three Kentucky Oaks qualifying races.

Oaklawn’s Kentucky Oaks points series concludes with the Honeybee and the $750,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles on March 29. Two of the last five Honeybee winners (Shedaresthedevil in 2020 and Secret Oath in 2022) won the Kentucky Oaks. Thorpedo Anna won the Fantasy and Kentucky Oaks during her 2024 Horse of the Year campaign.

Probable post time for the Honeybee, the ninth of 12 races, is 4:07 p.m. (Central).

Brodeur to Florida

Oaklawn-based Brodeur will make his next start in the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on March 8 at Tampa Bay Downs, dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said Wednesday afternoon.

The 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby will offer 105 total points (50-25-15-10-5, respectively) to its top five finishers toward Kentucky Derby starting eligibility.

Brodeur, by 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, will be making his stakes debut after winning his last two starts – both in front-running fashion at Oaklawn. Brodeur won a maiden special weight sprint Dec. 14 and, in his two-turn debut, a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 26. He’s 2 for 3 overall.

“He’s a nice horse with a big pedigree and we kind of want to see where he fits in,” Casse said.

Brodeur was scheduled to be vanned Wednesday to Casse’s training center in Ocala, Fla., but the trip was delayed because of a winter storm in Arkansas. Brodeur was to depart Thursday afternoon, according to Caden Arthur, who oversees Casse’s Oaklawn division.

“I’d like to get him to Ocala because it’s a little warmer here,” Casse said. “Let him get here and acclimate a little bit. We’ll run him right from our training center (to) Tampa. It’s only about an hour and 40 minutes, so it works out nice. We run a lot right from our training center.”

Casse trains Brodeur for D. J. Stable (Jonathan Green). Brodeur was purchased for $110,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale.

asse is scheduled to start program favorite Sandman in the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Sunday at Oaklawn. The Rebel is Oaklawn’s third Kentucky Derby qualifying race, with 105 total points allotted to its top five finishers.

Finish Lines

As expected, Oaklawn adjusted its three-day racing schedule this week because of arctic temperatures that gripped Arkansas. Friday’s card was moved to Saturday; Saturday’s Rebel Day card was moved to Sunday; and Sunday’s card was moved to Monday. Sunday’s 12-race program features five stakes races – $1.25 million Rebel (G2) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, $500,000 Honeybee (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses at 1 1/16 miles, $150,000 Carousel for older fillies and mares at six furlongs and the $145,000 Trivista Overnight for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. First post is noon (Central). … Monday’s re-drawn and twice re-scheduled $150,000 Dixie Belle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies drew a field of eight, including 7-5 program favorite G W’s Girl and You’ll Be Back, the early 3-1 second choice. Both were original entrants in the six-furlong race. The Dixie Belle was originally scheduled to be run Jan. 15, but Oaklawn scrapped its final five races because of rain and moved the Dixie Belle to Sunday. … Multiple stakes winner Happy Is a Choice is pointing for the $250,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3) for older horses at six furlongs March 15 at Oaklawn, trainer John Ortiz said. Happy Is a Choice returned to the work tab Monday morning at Oaklawn, covering a half-mile in :49.40. Happy Is a Choice has made two starts at the meeting, winning the $150,000 Ring the Bell Stakes Dec. 7 and finishing second, beaten a half-length, in the $150,000 King Cotton Stakes Jan. 25.