February, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Road To The Kentucky Oaks: Big Late Charge Propels Wet Paint To Honeybee Victory

Over a wet track, Godolphin homebred Wet Paint unveiled a masterpiece by storming from last to first in Saturday's $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn.

The winner of the Martha Washington Stakes at the Hot Springs, Ark. track in her previous start is 3-for-3 on wet tracks and now moves to the top of the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) Leaderboard for trainer Brad Cox with 70 total points. The Honeybee was worth 50-20-15-10-5 Oaks qualifying points to the Honeybee's top five finishers.

The daughter of Blame fell behind in the 1 1/16th-mile race over a track labeled sloppy, but navigated through the field under Flavian Prat to nab front-runner Condensation before pulling away to a three-length victory as the 8-5 favorite. Her winning time was 1:45.35.

Wet Paint paid $5.40 for the victory and is now has three wins from five starts. Condensation held second after prompting a fast pace with Grand Love running evenly to finish third.

Condensation secured 20 points towards Kentucky Oaks eligibility and Grand Love received 15 points. In addition, fourth-place finisher Gambling Girl received 10 and fifth-place finisher Towhead got five points.

Bred in Kentucky, Wet Paint has $334,100 in lifetime earnings. Her dam is the Street Cry mare Sky Painter.

Honeybee Stakes Quotes

Winning trainer Brad, Wet Paint: going into the first turn I was little concerned. She was pretty far back and taking a lot of dirt. She showed a lot of heart to be able to handle these conditions today. She showed she liked the wet track and I think as the distances get longer she'll keep improving. The Kentucky oaks is our goal and I think timing wise the Fantasy or the Ashland is the next logical goal.”

Winning jockey Flavien Prat, Wet Paint: “To be honest, I was worried about how far back I was. I mean, I didn't think I had much chance from where I was. She had to give a kick somewhere and that was in the stretch. On the backside I was galloping, but the problem was I was far back and it was a slow pace. But she finished up well.”

Trainer Chris Hartman, second with Condensation: she's a super nice filly. She ran great today. Down the lane she was pretty green but she showed a lot of heart on the lead.

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Confidence Game Pulls a Fast One, Wins Oaklawn’s Rebel Stakes

Confidence Game may have fooled the betting public, earning a surprising victory at 18-1 odds in the $1 million Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 25, but nothing appeared fraudulent about his performance.

Candy Ride’s Confidence Game Splashes Home In Rebel

Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}), despite being, as his trainer Keith Desormeaux said, “the complete opposite of his name” in the paddock, rewarded his backers Saturday at 18-1 with a win in the GII Rebel S. and 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Breaking from the same gate as Wet Paint (Blame) won from one race prior in the GIII Honeybee S., Confidence Game raced two-wide past the stands and settled a path off the rail as the field sorted themselves out into the first turn. Powerful (Nyquist) and Frosted Departure (Frosted) did their best to separate themselves from the group, duking it out on the front end just ahead of stablemates Verifying (Justify) and Giant Mischief (Into Mischief). The first quarter, up in :22.75, had the field strung out up the backstretch with Red Route One (Gun Runner) looking hopelessly beaten in the back. Confidence Game hung back just off those top four, shifting out a path as a rival came along inside for an outside move past the group of leg-weary leaders. Widest of the field past the quarter pole, he rallied with momentum down the lane despite hanging on his left lead. Red Route One came roaring up from the back of the pack inside the final sixteenth but ran out of time as Confidence Game hit the wire in front.

“He sort of lost his mind in the paddock, so I was worried until he got on the track,” said Desormeaux. “James [Graham] got him to settle down out there. He's really come into his own. He started off pretty immature, but as the races went on, he has improved things mentally, and physically.”

Winning rider Graham added: “I was able to settle him down when we were warming up so he got back in the things mentally. I was really happy with where I was early in the race. He wasn't doing too much too soon. He had a ton left down the lane. I'm just so happy for everyone involved and especially this horse. He keeps maturing and doing things the right way. I think the sky is the limit for him.”

Pedigree Notes:

A bargain buy at just $25,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, Confidence Game is out of a half-sister to Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) and MGISW Balance (Thunder Gulch). Second dam Vertigineux was named 2008's Broodmare of the Year, while Eblouissante has twice brought big dollars at sales, first from St. George Farm at the 2013 KEENOV sale for $2.1 million and finally from Summer Wind Farm at Tattersalls in 2016 for 1,100,000gns.

Confidence Game is followed by juvenile and yearling half-brothers by More Than Ready and Speightstown, respectively, while Eblouissante was bred to Maclean's Music for this spring. Confidence Game is the 52nd graded-stakes winner for Candy Ride (Arg).

Saturday, Oaklawn Park
REBEL S.-GII, $1,000,000, Oaklawn, 2-25, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.21, sy.
1–CONFIDENCE GAME, 119, c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)
               1st Dam: Eblouissante, by Bernardini
               2nd Dam: Vertigineux, by Kris S.
               3rd Dam: For the Flag, by Forli
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($25,000 Ylg
'21 KEESEP). O-Don't Tell My Wife Stables; B-Summer Wind
Equine LLC (KY); T-J. Keith Desormeaux; J-James Graham.
$581,750. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-2, $785,525. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Red Route One, 117, c, 3, Gun Runner–Red House, by Tapit.
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$179,000.
3–Reincarnate, 122, c, 3, Good Magic–Allanah, by Scat Daddy.
($775,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing,
Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables
LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and
Catherine Donovan; B-Woods Edge Farm, LLC (KY); T-Tim
Yakteen. $89,500.
Margins: 1, 1HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 18.50, 9.90, 4.80.
Also Ran: Verifying, Bourbon Bash, Giant Mischief, Gun Pilot, Frosted Departure, Powerful, Event Detail, Talladega.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Gulfstream Park: Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed At $1.2 Million Sunday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $1.2 million Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the 19th racing day following a mandatory payout.

Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence begins with Race 5, a $50,000 claiming event at a mile on the turf. Michael Dubb's Megacity, an 8-year-old gelding with seven turf wins, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite and enters off a victory last out against similar company at Gulfstream. Team Twenty Racing's Max K.O. was fifth in the restricted Sunshine Turf last out in his second start off a layoff. The 7-year-old won over the turf at Kentucky Downs in September.

Race 6, a maiden special weight event at 1 1/16 miles, drew a field of eight 3-year-old fillies. Todd Pletcher sends out Just My Own, third in her debut at Tampa, and Shug McGaughey sends out Biloxi Blues, third Jan. 29 here at the same distance in her second start. Graham Motion puts blinkers on Affirmative Lady, second in the Demoiselle (G2) last year and third in Aqueduct's Busanda in January.

After 4-year-olds and up go a mile and 70 yards on the Tapeta in Race 7 and fillies and mares go six furlongs on the main track in Race 8, a full field of fillies and mares at 7 ½ furlongs on the turf in Race 9. Distinctlypossible makes her first start finishing eighth in May in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2). Improvise makes her first start in the U.S. for trainer Mark Casse after winning in Europe. The sequence ends with a $12,500 claimer for 4-year-olds and up going five furlongs on the Tapeta.

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