Trainer Ingrid Mason said she plans to run Hypersport, runner-up in her Oct. 21 career debut at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., in a maiden special weights sprint for 2-year-old fillies opening day at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.
Oaklawn's 66-day live meeting begins Dec. 3, which marks its earliest season opening in history and allows 2-year-old races to be carded for the first time since 1975. Oaklawn normally opens in January. Oaklawn's opening-day feature is the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds at 6 furlongs.
Hypersport, a forward factor from the start at odds of 31-1, was beaten a length in her 6 ½-furlong career debut after being bumped leaving the gate. Hypersport tuned up for her local debut by working five furlongs in 1:00.80 Tuesday morning at Oaklawn under Francisco Arrieta, the filly's second published breeze this month in Hot Springs.
“That's the star of my barn, Hypersport,” Mason said. “I have high hopes for her. She's a pretty nice filly. She reminds me of Sarah Sis.”
Sarah Sis bankrolled $912,667 in a 22-race career for Mason, highlighted by victories in the $150,000 Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes in 2015 at Oaklawn, $200,000 G3 Iowa Oaks in 2015 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, $250,000 G2 Raven Run Stakes in 2015 at Keeneland, and the $400,000 G2 Presque Isle Masters Stakes in 2016 at Presque Isle in Erie, Penn. The Honeybee was Mason's first career graded stakes victory.
A $20,000 2-year-old purchase, Sarah Sis sold as a broodmare prospect for $750,000 at Fasig-Tipton's 2016 November Sale.
Bloodstock agent Christina Jelm, on behalf of owner Mike Waters, purchased Hypersport for $100,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Waters (Muddy Waters Racing Stables) is Mason's significant other.
Hypersport is by 2010 champion older male Blame out of Good Witch Glinda, a daughter of Unbridled's Song. Hypersport is a half-sister to the speedy Oaklawn-raced Mesoma, who set a six-furlong track record (1:07.98) in 2014 at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. It was his second career start. Runner-up Race Day won two graded stakes in 2015 at Oaklawn, including the $600,000 G2 Oaklawn Handicap for older horses.
“Mike picked her out off of pedigree and then I told him I was in love with her and had to have her,” Mason said. “He bought her off the Internet. I never saw her, but he had Christina over there, his agent, look at her and said he liked her.”
Mason said Hypersport flashed ability from Day 1.
“She's always been quick and showed talent,” Mason said. “She's destroyed everything in my barn, pretty much, I worked her with. She had a little bruising in her back end early on and then we backed off her. She's been good ever since – knock on wood.”
Mason also trains G T Three Fifty, an unraced 2-year-old Speightster colt, and stakes-placed 4-year-old Lykan for Waters, who won eight races in 2020 at Oaklawn to tie for sixth in the owner's standings. G T Three Fifty, Mason said, is named for a model of Ford Mustang that Waters owns. Lykan and Hypersport are also automobile-inspired names.
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Mason, the second-winningest female trainer in Oaklawn history, said she will have around 30 horses this season at Oaklawn. She won five races from 99 starts at the 2021 meeting.
“I'm actually really excited about the meet,” Mason said. “This is the most excited I've been in a long time. I didn't have good horses last year. It's hard to do good when you don't have good horses. I think I stepped it up a little bit this year, so we'll see what happens.”
Mason has 121 career Oaklawn victories. Lynn Chleborad, who also has horses on the grounds, is the winningest female trainer in Oaklawn history with 126.
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