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Lemon Muffin Facing Tough Field, Draw in Fantasy

Fresh off of her maiden victory in the Honeybee Stakes (G3), Lemon Muffin  is expected to face four other 3-year-old fillies from that race and seven others in the $750,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) March 30 at Oaklawn Park

While the 28-1 shot made the Honeybee look easy in her come-from-behind, 3 1/2-length win, the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy for 3-year-old fillies will present its own set of challenges. It is the last of three Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying races at Oaklawn. The Fantasy will offer 200 points to its top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis toward the May 3 race at Churchill Downs.

“We’re trying to get a line on figuring out who’s probably going to be very competitive (in the Oaks) and who isn’t, but this thing will melt down quite a few of them,” said Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who in 2022 earned his fifth Kentucky Oaks win with Secret Oath .

Lukas has been happy with Lemon Muffin’s training and said he has “no second thoughts or excuses” for running Lemon Muffin in the Fantasy. He said the Collected   filly owned by Aaron Sones and Julie Gilbert has “only gotten stronger” since the Honeybee.

Lemon Muffin, despite a 1-4-0 career record from six starts, enters the Fantasy sitting fifth in points for the Oaks. But she will have her work cut out for her with so many familiar faces, including Tapit Jenallie  and West Omaha . They finished second and third, respectively, in the Honeybee. Grade 3-placed Where’s My Ring  is also entered.

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Lemon Muffin drew second-widest in the expected field of 12.

“I don’t like that at all,” Lukas said. “It is almost impossible to win from the 11 hole in Oaklawn Park. The percentage is so low, it’s less than 1%, I think.

“Just makes me sick to my stomach. We’ve got to deal with it. The gate opens and you deal with cards that are dealt at that moment and we’ll adjust. …  If she wins from the 11 hole, she’s clearly the best horse.”

OAKLAWN MILE STAKES

Earlier on Saturday’s card is the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes. Its field of eight older horses includes several millionaires, some of which are looking to break through after multiple attempts at the one-mile race.

Kentucky-bred Silver Prospector , who has nearly $1.5 million in earnings, takes his third crack at the Mile after finishing sixth and fifth the past two years. Necker Island , who has banked a shade over $1 million, followed up a fourth in 2022 with a fifth last year.

Then there is Last Samurai , whose more than $2.2 million in earnings is tops in the field. The 6-year-old son of Malibu Moon is making his return after finishing sixth in last year’s Whitney Stakes (G1). After previously training under Lukas, Last Samurai is under the guidance of Eddie Milligan Jr. 

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