Prominent from the outset, Honor D Lady posted a mild 7-1 upset in Sunday night's Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks at Remington Park, rallying past second choice Ancient Peace in the final furlong to win going away by 2 1/2 lengths under Tyler Conner. Magic Bubbles finished third, with Nomadic Pride fourth, Appropriated Funds fifth, Love Tank sixth, and Perfect Wish seventh in the field of eight 3-year-old fillies.
Merlazza, the even-money favorite trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Flavien Prat, appeared to take a bad step approaching the three-eighths pole and was eased into the stretch before walking off the track.
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Honor D Lady, an Honor Code filly out of Complicated, by Blame, was winning for the third time in eight career starts. The Remington Park Oaks was her second stakes triumph, following a victory in May in the Honey Ryder at Gulfstream Park, but her initial graded stakes win.
Racing for Final Furlong Farm and Madaket Stables, Honor D Lady was bred in Kentucky by William Harrigan and Mike Pietrangelo. She was purchased by Jim Thompson, agent, from consignor Indian Creek for $40,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Harrigan and Miacomet Bloodstock purchased Honor D Lady's dam Complicated, a sixth generation mare from the Phipps family tracing back to Grey Flight, for $110,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale from Claiborne Farm.
The race was hand timed with the track reporting that the 1 1/16 miles was run on a fast track in 1:46.00 following hand-timed fractions of :23.49, :47.49, and 1:11.46. Honor D Lady paid $17.40 to win.
Conner put Honor D Lady in the race early, racing three wide into the first turn and down the backstretch as Ancient Peace, under Rafael Bejarano, darted to the early lead from the outside post and set the fractions. Merlazza was closest early with Honor D Lady to her outside.
Approaching the far turn, Merlazza suddenly backed out of it and it became a two-horse race around the final turn and into the stretch. Ancient Peace, who appeared to be headstrong much of the way, was unable to stave off Honor D Lady's stretch run, settling for second but 4 1/4 lengths clear of the third-place horse.
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