Marquee Miss seeking sweet triple in Honeybee

Mar 11, 2016 Jennifer Caldwell/Brisnet.com

Marquee Miss opened her three-year-old campaign with a 2 1/2-length score in the January 15 Dixie Belle S. at Oaklawn Park and returned a month later to take the Martha Washington S.

On Saturday, the Ingrid Mason pupil lines up against five rivals as she seeks a third straight stakes win at Oaklawn Park in the $200,000 Honeybee (G3) going 1 1/16 miles.

The Honeybee is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series of points races and offers 50-20-10-5 points to the respective top four finishers.

Marquee Miss has already earned 10 points toward a Kentucky Oaks (G1) berth thanks to her February 6 Martha Washington victory. The bay lass went off at double-digit odds in both the Dixie Belle and Martha Washington, and continues her quest for a sweep of Oaklawn’s series of three-year-old filly stakes in the Honeybee with Channing Hill back in the irons.

Nickname ran second as the 1-2 favorite in the Martha Washington while making her seasonal bow. The Steve Asmussen-trained bay broke her maiden at Saratoga and took the Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park before closing out her juvenile campaign with a fourth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on October 31. Corey Nakatani was aboard for the Martha Washington and retains the mount as Nickname tries to derail Marquee Miss in her second start of the year.

Dorodansa has yet to earn a stakes win but the Kenny McPeek charge has been close in her two attempts. The Bellamy Road filly broke her maiden by 5 1/2 lengths going a mile at Keeneland and then shipped to Remington Park to rally for a tough head loss in the Trapeze S. while making her stakes bow. She finished third in the Martha Washington last out under Chris Landeros, who will be back in the saddle on Saturday.

Cosmic Evolution actually earned her initial win in the Debutante S. at Churchill Downs last June before traveling for the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies, where she rallied for third after a stumbling break. That concluded the Proud Citizen filly’s juvenile season and she opened 2016 with an allowance win at Oaklawn going six furlongs on February 6. Regular rider Calvin Borel has the call.

Completing the Honeybee field are She’s a Bootsy Too, who is unbeaten from two lifetime starts going six furlongs at Oaklawn Park, and Terra Promessa, a 9 1/2-length Oaklawn allowance winner at 1 1/16 miles on February 5.