Will’s Secret seeks repeat of last

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Will’s Secret will attempt to win her second straight points race for the Kentucky Oaks on Saturday when she starts as the probable favorite in a competitive Grade 3, $300,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park.

The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies rewards its first four finishers with Kentucky Oaks points on a scale of 50-20-10-5.

Will’s Secret picked up 10 points in January in the $200,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn. For the Honeybee, she’s one of five fillies in the eight-horse field who are individual betting interests for this weekend’s Kentucky Oaks Future Wager. The others are Coach, Pauline’s Pearl, Sun Path, and Willful Woman.

Will’s Secret rolled by 5 1/4 lengths in the Martha Washington, a mile race for which she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81. It’s the best last-race number in the Honeybee.

“She proved that she’s a nice filly the other day,” trainer Dallas Stewart said. “Let’s just get a repeat of that performance and I think we’ll be okay.”

Stewart trains Will’s Secret for Willis Horton, the Arkansas resident with whom he won the 2006 Kentucky Oaks with Lemons Forever.

In the Martha Washington, Will’s Secret was cutting back to a mile. She now returns to the distance of her December maiden win at Fair Grounds.

“I was a little afraid of shortening up last time,” Stewart said. “She showed up and got it done going a mile.”

Following the start, Horton and Stewart were debating whether to return for the Honeybee or await the Grade 3 Fantasy, also at Oaklawn.

“Her last work was tremendous,” Stewart said. “She did very well, looked like she was eager to run back, and that’s what you base it on.”

Jon Court has the mount from post 2.

Trainer Brad Cox, who was an assistant to Stewart for four years, will counter with Coach, runner-up in the Martha Washington, and Sun Path, a full sister to Bonny South, winner of last year’s Fair Grounds Oaks.

Cox recently won the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding trainer of 2020.

Trainer Steve Asmussen also has two runners in the field in last-race maiden winners Willful Woman, a half-sister to Fantasy winner Ever So Clever, and Pauline’s Pearl, a daughter of Tapit and the Grade 1-winning mare Hot Dixie Chick.

Ken McPeek sends in capable Gulfstream shippers Oliviaofthedesert and Tabor Hall.

Oliviaofthedesert won the Trapeze at Remington in her last start Dec. 18. David Cabrera was aboard and has the mount again from post 7.

“Olivia is doing super,” McPeek said. “I’m really happy Cabrera is able to ride her. He did a marvelous job with her.”

Oliviaofthedesert worked five-eighths in a bullet 59.40 seconds on Feb. 27 at Gulfstream.

“She put in the best work of her life this past weekend,” McPeek said. “The timing of this race is really good.

“We wanted to keep her at two turns. We think she’s better at two turns.”

Tabor Hall won a maiden special weight over 1 1/16 miles in her first two-turn start, which came in the sixth race of her career on Jan. 24.

“She finally got two turns,” McPeek said. “Her race was exceptional. She’s a well-bred filly that seems to be rounding into form.”

David Cohen has the mount from the rail on an afternoon forecast to be sunny with highs in the 60s. The infield is scheduled to be open.