Honey Fox Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Las Vegas, NV - Gulfstream Park in beautiful Hallandale, Florida will be the scene of the Grade 2 Honey Fox Stakes on Saturday March 16. Fillies and mares four years old and upward will be after the winner's share of the $150,000 purse when they go one mile on Gulfstream Park's turf track.
A field of nine older females will line up in the Honey Fox - race 10 on Gulfstream's Saturday card. Post time is 5:35 PM. Here is a brief glance into the past performances of all nine entries ahead of this Grade 2 race.
2013 Honey Fox Stakes Race Favorites
Center Court - George Arnold II trained filly has four wins and four second place finishes in eight career starts and is coming off her best ever result - a win in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs November 17. She also had a pair of graded stakes wins in the summer - the Grade 3 Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs in June and the Grade 2 Lake George over Samitar on that same track in July. Prior to her Mrs. Revere win, Center Court had a pair of good seconds - the Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga in August and the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October. She has been at or near the top of every start since her debut and is certainly a threat in the Honey Fox.
Samitar - Irish filly Samitar made her third start on North American soil with an OK fourth in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup last time out back in October after a decent career in her native land. She finished a good third place finish in her American debut at the Grade 2 Lake George Stakes behind Center Court at Saratoga on July 25 and followed that with an impressive score in the Grade 1 Garden City Stakes here on September 15. Among her impressive results at home was an upset win in the One Thousand Guineas in a race that put her firmly on the radar. She is coming off a five month layoff but should be competitive Saturday along with Center Court, Pianist and Channel Lady.
Honey Fox Stakes 2013 | Remaining Field Entries
Pianist - Chad Brown trained filly has a couple straight wins in the summer including the minor Given Stakes at Belmont Park in September. She followed that with a pair of fourths - the Grade 3 Pin Oak Valley View Stakes at Keeneland and the Stardusk Stake behind Channel Lady in November. Last time out was a good score in an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track February 7.
Channel Lady - Todd Pletcher filly made her graded stakes debut with a good second behind Hard Not to Like in the Grade 3 Marshua's River Stakes here January 5 and followed that with a terrific win last time out in the Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes on February 2. Before that five career starts yielded three wins and a second place finish. Three back was a nice win in the minor Stardusk Stakes at Aqueduct November 21 after a second in the Pebbles Stakes at Belmont in October. She has won four of her last six starts with the other two results over that span being seconds. Two straight Grade 3 wins on this track has Channel Lady on the radar for the Honey Fox.
Honey Fox Stakes betting at Gulfstream Park with OffTrackBetting.com
Class Included - had been mighty impressive last year winning six of eight starts including the Grade 3 Ballerina Stakes two back and a host of minor stakes races. She has 18 career starts with 10 wins and six second place finishes - pretty darn good! Last time out however was a seventh place finish in the Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap at Hollywood Park December 8 to follow another seventh in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic - the only two times she has placed out of the money have been in her last two starts overall!
Heavenly Landing - started out 2012 with a bang - a win in the last year's version of the Marshua's River Stakes on January 7 and then mixed results. She looked good in finishing second in the Grade 3 Mint Julep at Churchill Downs on June 2 and at the Grade 3 Eatontown Handicap on June 30 but followed that result with a disappointing fifth in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa. She had an Allowance score at Keeneland October 5 but most recently finished fifth in the Grade 3 Marshua's River Stakes here January 5.
Star Torina - Bill Mott trained mare makes her stakes debut on Saturday but is coming off two straight wins - an Allowance Optional Claiming last time out at Tampa Bay Downs March 2 and an Allowance score here January 20. She has three wins, a second and a third place finish in 11 career starts.
Namaskara - H Graham Motion pupil enters the Honey Fox off an Allowance Optional Claiming score in this track March 2. She failed to place in her previous three starts which included a seventh in her stakes debut - the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park in July. Namaskara has three wins and two second place finishes in 13 career starts.
Frontside - had a couple of minor stakes wins in the summer but posted two straight eighth place finishes before a fifth last time out in the Grade 3 Marshua's River Stakes here January 5. Those eighths include the South Beach Stakes here December 9 and the Mr. Penny Stakes at Parx back in September.
