Oaklawn: Lemon Muffin upsets for Lukas; Octane also wins
Hot Springs, Ark.
Keith Asmussen, son of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, earned his first career graded-stakes win and potentially his first Kentucky Oaks (G1) mount for another Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.
The younger Asmussen, 25, piloted Lemon Muffin to a maiden-breaking, 28-1 upset victory in the Grade 3, $400,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) to earn 50 points toward eligibility in the Oaks.
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“Down the backside, I had the biggest smile on my face, because she was like a wave, and she was begging me to push the button,” Asmussen said. “I was trying to be as patient as possible. When I turned her loose, she exploded.”
For Lukas, 88, his record-extending seventh Honeybee victory was his third win at Oaklawn in 24 hours. Seize the Grey finished first for him in at 5-1 in Saturday’s opener, an optional-claiming allowance race. Track Mate scored at 15-1 on Friday in an allowance test.
The $140,000 Connected filly owned by Aaron Sones finally won on her sixth try. She finished eighth in her debut and then second in four consecutive maiden races, two at Churchill Downs and two at Oaklawn.
Following a contentious pace that eventually wilted, Lemon Muffin responded to Asmussen’s light hold with a forward move late in the second turn of the 1 1/16-mile race on fast dirt. Taking the four path down the homestretch, she edged inward and brushed eventual runner-up Tapit Jenallie, a 22-1 long shot, in a move that led to a stewards’ inquiry that resulted in no change.
Lemon Muffin went on to finish 3 1/2 lengths ahead of Tapit Jenallie. West Omaha, the even-money favorite, finished another half-length behind in third. Neom Beach took fourth, and Midshipman’s Dance was fifth in the field of 10 3-year-old fillies. For the top five finishers, the Honeybee was worth 50-25-15-10-5 toward qualifying for the Kentucky Oaks on May 3.
The winning time was 1:45.60 after early fractions of 23.60, 48.32, 1:13.87 and 1:39.23.
Octane makes grade in Razorback
Already a four-time stakes winner, 5-1 Octane finally broke through in his fourth try against graded company when he won by three-quarters of a length in the 1 1/16-mile, $600,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) that attracted 10 older horses.
Owned by Allen Cohen’s Arindel and trained by trained by Juan Alvarado, the 5-year-old Brethren gelding actually led out of the gate. Jockey Julien Leparoux kept Octane in a stalking second before taking the lead for good in the homestretch.
A late rally by 2-1 post-time favorite Magic Tap never fully materialized, and he finished three-quarters of a length behind in second. Notary was third, Bolzy fourth and O P Firecracker fifth.
The winning time was 1:43.57 following an early pace of 23.30, 47.33, 1:12.20 and 1:37.26.