2020 Honey Fox Stakes Contenders & Odds

Valedictorian (Epic Racing), a two-time Grade 3 winner of more than $700,000 in lifetime purses, will need to rely on class breaking from outside of each of her 10 rivals as she launches her comeback in the Grade 3, $150,000 Honey Fox Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, February 29.

The 35th running of the one-mile Honey Fox for fillies and mares 4 and older on the grass is among 10 stakes, nine graded, worth $1.95 million on a blockbuster 14-race program anchored by the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2). First-race post time is 11:30 a.m.

Valedictorian, now 6, has not raced since finishing third by 6 ¼ lengths after setting the pace in the one-mile Noble Damsel (G3) Sept. 21 at Belmont Park. Though she has found success up and down the East Coast, the Temple City mare has shown an affinity for Gulfstream with four wins, two seconds and two thirds in 11 tries.

Last winter, Valedictorian was beaten a half-length when second behind Precieuse from Post 2 in the Honey Fox. It was one of her four starts during the Championship Meet that included wins in the Suwannee River (G3) and Sand Springs and a third in the Marshua's River to Bellevais, who she subsequently beat to the wire in the Honey Fox.

Valedictorian went on to win one of her final four starts of 2019, the 1 1/16-mile Eatontown (G3) at Monmouth Park. Overall, she owns 12 wins and $708,765 in purse earnings from 30 starts with other stakes victories coming in the 2018 Jersey Girl at Monmouth and All Along at Laurel Park. Paco Lopez has the mount at co-topweight of 122 pounds.

Sharing topweight with Valedictorian is John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services' Atomic Blonde, a 4-year-old Scat Daddy filly exiting a 1 ¼-length triumph in the South Beach Stakes Jan. 25 at Gulftsream, contested at about 7 ½ furlongs. She has never finished off the board in five lifetime starts, including a third in the 1 1/16-mile Winter Memories Dec. 7 over a yielding Aqueduct turf course. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano rides from Post 2.

Third in the South Beach, just a neck behind 2019 Gallorette (G3) winner Mitchell Road, was Madaket Stables, Robert LaPenta, Lindy Farms and Team Hanley's La Feve. The Honey Fox will be her third start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. after previously having run for Chad Brown and Graham Motion since coming to the U.S. in the fall of 2018 from her native France.

La Feve ran third in last winter's Sweetest Chant (G3) at Gulfstream in her North American debut, and was beaten 1 ¼ lengths when fourth in the Florida Oaks (G3) before another third in the Memories of Silver. The 4-year-old filly became a stakes winner under Motion in the seven-furlong Duchess last August over Woodbine's synthetic surface.

"She's doing really well. I thought she improved from the first to the second race for us, and I think she'll improve again. If it comes up similar to the last race, I think she's got a good chance," Joseph said. "She can stalk. She sits off the pace and she has a good turn of foot."

Florent Geroux, leading the Fair Grounds meet in purse earnings for the third consecutive winter, rides La Feve from Post 4.

"She's an easy-going filly and she trains well," Joseph said. "The first time we ran her I didn't know what to expect and she ran very good. The second time, she duplicated it. I think she has reason to improve again."

Toby Morton's Miss Munnings will be stepping up into stakes company for the first time in the Honey Fox. A 7-year-old daughter of Munnings, whose three career Grade 2 victories included the 2010 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship, she has won two straight and four of five races dating back to an allowance win last January at Gulfstream.

Miss Munnings has finished in the top three in nine of 10 career tries over the Gulfstream turf with three wins, the most recent coming in a one-mile optional claimer Feb. 9 - her first race in more than seven months. She will have the services of Manny Franco from Post 8.

"She's such a solid, consistent horse. She won here three weeks ago and she's going to run back. She absolutely loves this course. She earned her way into it," trainer John Kimmel said. "She's doing very good right now so we'll take a crack and maybe get some black type for her. I think she's ready to unload another good one. Hopefully she'll show up. You know one thing, she's going to try. She always tries."

Also entered are Silver Kitten, riding a two-race win streak; Sweet Hitch Hiker, most recently fourth in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Jan. 18; Conquest Hardcandy, ninth and seventh, respectively, in the 2018 and 2019 Honey Fox; Getmotherarose, fourth in the South Beach; Marshua's River (G3) runner-up Munchkin Money; Sister Hanan and Steelin Magnolias.