Cindy Jones’ JUST JENDA (Menifee) will bring top credentials into Sunday’s
$100,000
Honeybee S. (G3), winning the Tiffany Lass S. two starts back and recording
a third in the Silverbulletday S. (G3) most recently at Fair Grounds, but the
Larry Jones-trained lass will face stiff local opposition in Hot Springs,
Arkansas. The chestnut miss has trained well at Oaklawn Park in advance of this
start, registering a five-furlong bullet work in :59 1/5 on Tuesday, and Just
Jenda will be re-acquainted with jockey Gabriel Saez, who guided her to a maiden
victory last season.
Six rivals will challenge the likely favorite, and unbeaten BE FAIR (Exchange
Rate) is set to make her stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile event. Trained by Hall
of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, the dark bay filly was unveiled in a January 16 maiden
special weight at Oaklawn and rolled to a 3 3/4-length decision. She followed
that with an easy score over allowance/optional claiming rivals on February 15, stretching out to
a two-turn mile to win by 4 1/4 lengths, and Be Fair will break from the rail in
her third lifetime appearance on Sunday. Terry Thompson will retain the mount.
BON JOVI GIRL (Malibu Moon) will return to stakes competition off an
encouraging win over allowance/optional claiming rivals at Oaklawn on February
26. Winner of the Fairway Fillies S. and Blue Hen S. at Delaware Park last
season, the Tim Ritchey trainee also finished fourth in the Alcibiades S. (G1)
at Keeneland. The half-sister to recent Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) winner Gio
Ponti (Tale of the Cat) will keep Jose Caraballo in the saddle.
AFLEET DECEIT (Northern Afleet) and PEACH BREW (Milwaukee Brew), the
respective second- and third-place finishers behind the impressive Rachel
Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro) in the Martha Washington S. last out, will both
return for the Honeybee, and Fair Grounds shipper HIGHTAP (Tapit) will test
stakes company for Steve Asmussen following a couple of nice wins over allowance
and maiden special weight rivals.