2026.03.12 Oaklawn Racing Updates

Racing Updates
Compiled by Robert Yates

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has mapped out next-race plans for his trio of 3-year-old filly stakes winners this season at Oaklawn.

Casse said Tuesday afternoon that he intends to run Counting Stars and Search Party in the $1 million Fantasy Stakes (G2) March 27 at Oaklawn and unbeaten French Friction in the $750,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) April 3 at Keeneland. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.

Counting Stars and Search Party finished second and fourth, respectively, in the $750,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) March 1. The 1 1/16-mile Honeybee was Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Oaks qualifying race and a strong bounce-back performance from Counting Stars, who was beaten only three-quarters of a length by Explora after racing seventh down the backstretch under Francisco Arrieta.

Counting Stars had won the Astral Spa Overnight Stakes and Year’s End Stakes earlier in the meeting before essentially being eased as the 3-5 favorite in the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 6. The Martha Washington was Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Oaks qualifying race.

“That was definitely one of the bright spots of the weekend,” Casse said of Counting Stars. “I’ve kind of always held her in high regard. I thought for a long time that she was an Oaks filly. It’s funny, when she got to about the half-mile pole, that horse (Grace Is Free) moved outside of her, I was like, ‘Oh boy, here we find out now.’ And then when she went by there, I’m like, ‘OK, she’s engaged.’ ”

Casse said he believes Counting Stars’ dull performance in the Martha Washington may have been because of a winter storm in late January that led Oaklawn to cancel three days of racing (Jan. 30, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1) and nine consecutive days of training (Jan. 24-Feb. 1). The 1 1/16-mile Martha Washington was originally scheduled to be run Jan. 31.

“I said this all along – the last race we had to improvise all the time because of the weather,” Casse said. “This time with her, we got to do exactly what we wanted to do and she was on her game.”

Search Party, in her stakes debut, won the Martha Washington by a neck. She was beaten 3 ½ lengths in the Honeybee under Cristian Torres.

“Actually, I was OK with Search Party,” Casse said. “You have to remember now that we were at a little bit of a disadvantage. We were coming back in a shorter amount of time. We lost a week, again, with the weather. I didn’t even breeze her back.”

Other early Fantasy probables include Honeybee eighth Taken by the Wind for trainer Kenny McPeek and Sticker Shock for trainer Brad Cox. Sticker Shock was an entry-level allowance winner at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26 at Oaklawn.

The Fantasy is Oaklawn’s third and final Kentucky Oaks qualifying race. It will offer 200 total points to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies. The 1 1/8-mile race is May 1 at Churchill Downs.

The Fantasy, which will carry a record purse after previously being worth $750,000, is the country’s richest Kentucky Oaks prep this year.

Explora (95 points) ranks first on the official Kentucky Oaks leaderboard compiled by Churchill Downs. Taken by the Wind (30) is 11th. Search Party (30) and Counting Stars (25) are 12th and 15th, respectively.

The Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters, with the top 14 on the points list guaranteed spots in the field.

French Friction, who has never raced around two turns, has won her two starts at the meeting by a combined 11 ¾ lengths. Both races were six furlongs.

French Friction was a front-running 5 ¾-length winner of the $150,000 Dixie Belle Stakes Feb. 14 in her last start.

Finish Lines

Oaklawn’s racing surface was rated good for workouts Thursday morning. … Laura Branigan ($36.60) represented trainer Lynn Chleborad’s 138th career Oaklawn victory in Sunday’s sixth race. Chleborad is the second-winningest female trainer in Oaklawn history. … Trainer Genaro Garcia, who has a division of horses this season at Oaklawn, has 996 career North American victories. … Entries will be accepted and post positions drawn Sunday for the $500,000 Essex Handicap (G3) for older horses at 1 1/8 miles March 21. The Essex closed March 7 with 28 nominations. The Essex is a major local prep for the $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at 1 1/8 miles April 18.