Southern Cal filly outduels long shot
HOT SPRINGS — It Tiz Well shipped well for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, and she finished well, too.
In her first race outside California, It Tiz Well dueled the length of the homestretch with 22-1 long shot Benner Island before pulling away to win the Grade III $200,000 Honey bee Stake s for 3- year-old fillies before an estimated crowd of 16,500 at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.
Elate, the 2-1 favorite who shipped from Florida for trainer William Mott, finished third, 3¾ lengths behind Benner Island and a neck in front of fourth-place Tapa Tapa Tapa.
Chenal’s Legacy, winner of Oaklawn’s Dixie Belle and Martha Washington Stakes, was in third through the first quarter mile in 23.06 and the half in 47.03, but began to fade as the field turned for home and finished sixth, 10½ lengths behind the winner.
Perhaps tops among reasons for Hollendorfer to ship is the presence of top 3-year-old filly Unique Bella, a winner of three consecutive graded stakes since January in southern California.
“He thought this would be a good spot to get her away from her around two turns,” It Tiz Well assistant trainer Don Chatlos said. “We’re getting closer to the Kentucky Oaks. She’s not going to find any easy spots, and obviously, this wasn’t. It was a good test for her.”
“Unique Bella is possibly the best 3-year-old in the country, and these have a little way to go to catch up to her,” It Tiz Well jockey Corey Nakatani said. “It Tiz Well is on the right path and doing the right things, and I want to thank Jerry for giving me the opportunity.”
Trainer Brad Cox said he and Benner Island owner John Ed Anthony have targeted the filly toward Oaklawn’s Grade III $400,000 Fantasy Stakes on April 14. Benner Island finished sixth in the Martha Washington.
“She stepped up and ran the way she’s trained since we had her last spring,” Cox said. “She’s a nice filly, and we think a lot of her.”
Benner Island started from the far outside post in the field of 11.
“She is a very nice filly and was running her eyeballs out,” Benner Island jockey Geovanni Franco said. “We drew a tough post, and she overcame the post, but I think that cost us a little bit in the race. She had to make up a lot of ground.”
It Tiz Well, who completed the 1 1/16th-mile race in 1:42.61, improved her career record to three victories in five starts and has now earned $181,840. She returned $7.80, $4.80 and $3 as the 5-2 second choice.
She also earned herself 50 points towards eligibility in the Kentucky Oaks and possible a return trip to Oaklawn for the Fantasy. In addition to the 50 points earned by the winner, Benner Island received 20 points for second, Elate earned 10 for third and Tapa Tapa Tapa, who like Elate had shipped in from Florida for the race, earned 5 for finishing fourth.