Marquee Miss continues Oaklawn journey in Honeybee

Marquee Miss will go attempt to move her record to three-for-three on Saturday at Oaklawn Park when lining up against five rivals in the $200,000 Honeybee (G3) going 1 1/16 miles.

The bay daughter of Cowboy Cal is trying to sweep the three-year-old filly series at Oaklawn that culminates in the $400,000 Fantasy (G3) on April 9. She already opened her three-year-old season with a 2 1/2-length victory in the Dixie Belle S. at the track and rallied for a half-length score in the one-mile Martha Washington S. last out on February 6.

Now up is the Honeybee, which offers 50 points to the winner toward a starting berth in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs as part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series of points races.

Marquee Miss has never won at the 1 1/16-mile distance, running seventh in last year’s Alcibiades (G1) and ninth in an allowance/optional claimer, both at Keeneland, in her only tries. Channing Hill has been aboard for her past two wins and retains the mount on Saturday for trainer Ingrid Mason.

Lining back up against Marquee Miss in the Honeybee is Nickname, the 1-2 favorite in the Martha Washington last out while making her sophomore debut. The Steve Asmussen pupil captured the Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park last fall before finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to conclude her 2015 campaign.

Nickname had every chance in the stretch of the Martha Washington but was unable to keep up with Marquee Miss in the final yards. The Scat Daddy miss will be reunited with jockey Corey Nakatani as she seeks to turn the tables on Saturday.

Dorodansa also ran in the Martha Washington, finishing third, and is looking for her first win since breaking her maiden by 5 1/2 lengths last October at Keeneland.

Cosmic Evolution broke her maiden in the Debutante S. at Churchill Downs last June and enters the Honeybee off an allowance win at Oaklawn Park to kick off her sophomore season. Terra Promessa also won at Oaklawn to begin 2016, scoring a nine-length allowance victory on February 6, and makes her stakes bow in the Honeybee for Asmussen.

She’s a Bootsy Too, unbeaten from two starts thus far at Oaklawn this year, completes the Honeybee field.

Marquee Miss photo courtesy of Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography