Favored Sun Path looks for rebound

HOT SPRINGS — At least three riders agree that the Honeybee Stakes is loaded with potential winners.

Sun Path is the morning-line favorite in the Grade III, $300,000 Honeybee for 3-year-old fillies. Post time is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. A field of eight is entered for the 1 1/16-mile race at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.

Sun Path, a daughter of Munnings trained by Brad Cox with Joe Talamo her listed jockey, is the 5-2 firstchoice in the program, but Talamo sees a field full of contenders.

“It seems like one of those races where whoever gets the right trip could jump up and win, but I’ll tell you what, my filly looks really good in there though,” Talamo said.

Sun Path has been the odds-on favorite in her past three starts but finished fourth in her last at 3-5 in the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Jan. 16.

“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.”

The Honeybee is the second of three Oaklawn stakes to offer Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. It will distribute a total of 85 points, with 50, 20, 10, and 5 to first through fourth, respectively.

The Oaks is scheduled for April 30 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Will’s Secret, a daughter of Will Take Charge trained by Dallas Stewart, earned 10 Kentucky Oaks points with her win in Oaklawn’s 1-mile Martha Washington Stakes on Jan. 30.

Jon Court rode Will’s Secret’s to a 5 1/4-length win in the Martha Washington and is listed to ride her again in the Honeybee. Will’s Secret is the co-morning-line second choice, with Olivia of the desert, at 7-2.

“There is a sense of comfort when you know the playing field is even,” Court said. “When it’s wide-open, you know any horse has a chance. I know these horses are pretty solid, but guess what, we might be overlooked.”

Stewart said Will’s Secret is receptive to his efforts.

“She’s doing good,” he said. “She’s a nice, honest filly and easy to train, just an easy keeper. Nice filly.”

Cox also trains Honeybee entrant Coach, a daughter of Commissioner who finished second to Will’s Secret in the Martha Washington to earn four Kentucky Oaks points.

Martin Garcia has replaced Florent Geroux as the listed rider for Coach, who is 4-1 on the morning line.

Cox said Coach, based at Cox’s Hot Springs stable, missed meaningful training through Arkansas’ nearly twoweek February run of freezing temperatures and record snowfall.

“We’ll see how things go,” he said.

Kenny McPeek trains two Honeybee entrants, Olivia of the desert and Tab or Hall.

Tabor Hall, by Candy Ride, broke her maiden in her last start at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Jan. 24. The win in 1:44.75 of the 1 1/16-mile race earned Tabor Hall a last-race speed figure superior to any in the Honeybee field.

Tabor Hall, 10-1 on the the morning line, has David Cohen as her listed rider.

“This is maybe a step up a little bit, but with Kenny McPeek, in my mind, he’s not going to send a horse he’s not confident about,” Cohen said. “There’s a couple of horses in there, but I didn’t think [the Honeybee] came up ultra-tough for a Grade III.”

McPeek maintains his wintertime stable at Gulfstream but was an Oaklawn regular through 2017. He trained and Cohen rode Golden Ticket’s win in the 2012 Grade I Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“Anytime he’s put me on horses, they’ve always had a very good shot,” Cohen said. “For him to pick Tabor Hall out of all his horses and to send her over to make the trip to Oaklawn, he obviously thinks highly of her.

“She’s proved she can go the distance. Showed improvement last time out. Speed horse coming from the rail. Definitely looks like she has a valid shot.”