For Immediate Release Oaklawn Stakes Race Recap $1,000,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said if Counting Stars brought her “A” game, she was going to be tough to beat in the Fantasy Stakes (G2). He was right. Taking command late on the backstretch, Counting Stars rolled to a 5 ½-length victory in the $1 million race for 3-year-old fillies Friday at Oaklawn. The margin of victory was the largest in the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy since Joyful Victory (seven lengths) in 2011. The Fantasy was the fourth victory on the card for jockey Francisco Arrieta and the first seven-figure victory in his career. Counting Stars, the 4-5 favorite, was one of three horses in the race for Casse, who notched his first Fantasy victory and meet-high 10th stakes victory this season at Oaklawn. Search Party, also trained by Casse, overcame trouble on the second turn to finish second, 9 ½ lengths ahead of Taken by the Wind, who was followed by Sticker Shock and Empath, the third Casse trainee. Explora, the even-money program favorite, was scratched because of a minor illness, reducing the starting field to five. Counting Stars paid $3.80, $2.10 and $2.20. Search Party paid $3 and $2.60. Taken by the Wind paid $3.60. The winning time over a fast track was 1:44.47. The Fantasy, which carried a record purse this year, was Oaklawn’s third and final Kentucky Oaks qualifying race. The Fantasy awarded 150 total points to its top five finishers (75-37.5-18.75-11.25-7.5, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies. A Triple Crown nominee, Counting Stars was exiting a runner-up finish, beaten three-quarters of a length by Explora, in the $750,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles March 1. The Honeybee was Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Oaks qualifying race. After winning two stakes races earlier in the meeting, Counting Stars was beaten 60 ¼ lengths in the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 6, a 1 1/16-mile race that was Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Oaks qualifying event. She bounced back in the Honeybee and was even stronger in the Fantasy, opening a 5 ½-length in midstretch. A daughter of Honor A. P., Counting Stars raised her career earnings to $972,606 following her fourth victory from seven starts. She is a three-time stakes winner, also claiming the inaugural $135,000 Astral Spa Overnight Dec. 14 and the $150,000 Year’s End Dec. 27. Counting Stars races for West Point Thoroughbreds, which purchased the filly for $150,000 at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in training. The Fantasy is the country’s richest Kentucky Oaks prep race this year. Friday’s estimated attendance was 15,000. Total mutuel handle was $9,021,898. Racing resumes Saturday at 11:35 a.m. CDT with 14 races, highlighted by the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1). Fantasy Quotes Winning Jockey Francisco Arrieta (Counting Stars): “Last week when I worked her, she really impressed me and today she was looking amazing in the paddock and the post parade. She was feeling good. It’s very exciting (to have a Kentucky Oaks candidate). I was expecting two horses outside of me (Taken by the Wind and Sticker Shock) to show speed. But when I didn’t see them, I let my horse go. The last time, I felt like I should be closer when ran second. I was planning to be closer, but when I didn’t see the two speed horses I just let her take it. That’s about it.” Winning Trainer Mark Case (Counting Stars): “She showed up. I’m proud of her. She’s had a few little bumps in the road, but she’s on track. She trained really good into this race. I was expecting a big effort. You sit there and you watch her run a couple of those races and what’s there to say. I’ve seen too much to know anything, so I just went with it. She was fine and you keep believing.” $250,000 Matron Stakes Eight will apparently be enough. In what was likely her final Oaklawn appearance, Arkansas-bred star Haulin Ice toppled open company again in Friday’s $250,000 Matron Stakes for older females at six furlongs. The Matron marked the eighth victory in 10 Oaklawn starts for Haulin Ice, who became the first accredited Arkansas-bred in history to reach $1 million in career earnings with a front-running 11 ¾-length victory over state-breds in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Breeders’ Stakes Feb. 20. Haulin Ice completed six furlongs in 1:08.75, the fastest time Oaklawn history by a female at that distance. Haulin Ice had to work harder as the 3-5 favorite in her return to Hot Springs, holding off Foie Gras by a 1 ¾ lengths to capture the Matron for the second consecutive year. It was another 1 ¼ lengths farther back to third-place finisher Evanescence, who was followed, in order, by Zeitlos, early pacesetter Asternia and Lovin’ On the Run. Jersey Pearl, Me and Molly McGee and Wondrous were scratched, reducing the starting field to six. Me and Molly McGee was scratched after becoming fractious in the starting gate. Haulin Ice paid $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10. Foie Gras paid $3.40 and $3. Evanescence paid $3.40. After tracking Asternia for roughly a half-mile, Haulin Ice moved to the lead passing the quarter pole and opened a commanding 3 ½-length lead in midstretch, then held Foie Gras safe approaching the wire. The winning time over a fast track was 1:09.94. Haulin Ice, a 5-year-old daughter of Coal Front, raised her career earnings to $1,227,750 following her 12th victory from 21 starts. She is an eight-time stakes winner. Haulin Ice became the first two-time winner of the Matron, which debuted in 2023. She races for Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and owners C2 Racing Stable (brothers Mark and Clint Cornett), WSS Racing (William Simon) and Agave Racing Stable (Mark Martinez). Mark Cornett said moments after the Downthedustyroad that 2026 is probably Haulin Ice’s final year to race and she would “more than likely” be sold in Fasig-Tipton’s November Sale. Haulin Ice became the leading accredited Arkansas-bred money winner in history with a victory in the Princess Rooney Stakes (G3) Sept. 20 at Gulfstream Park. Nodouble, the country’s two-time champion older horse, set the previous record ($846,749) in 1970. Haulin Ice was privately purchased by C2 Racing Stable and transferred to Joseph following a victory in open allowance company in May 2024 at Oaklawn. Haulin Ice made her first five career starts in 2024 at Oaklawn for trainer Lindsay Schultz and Arkansas owner Eugenia Thompson-Benight, who also bred the horse. Matron Quotes Winning Jockey Francisco Arrieta (Haulin Ice): “I was outside (off the pace). We were going fast, though. Felt like I was in the lead, too. I was very close to the lead outside. I didn’t take anything away from her. I just put my hands down and let her run a little bit. I knew I was in open company and had some decent fillies with me. I had to go for it. Passing the three-eighths pole, I started going forward, going forward. When she switched leads, I went with her. Better competition today, but she’s capable. She’s a nice filly. I expected some speed in the race. I didn’t know which one (horse) because the riders know that my filly’s fast. I didn’t know if they planned to go with her or stay behind. I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy to be loose on the lead and go gate-to-wire.” Winning Jockey Franciso Arrieta (Haulin Ice): “What a filly she is and, obviously, she loves her hometown. Puts on a show all the time. Obviously, she wants to be forwardly placed, but she doesn’t have to lead. She can press a horse like that (Asternia). She’s just as good doing that. Obviously, she’s outside. It’s easier for her. On paper, there was a lot of speed. The other horse scratched (Me and Molly McGee), but there was still quite a bit of speed out there. They were going fast, but she had enough to keep going.” Winning Co-Owner Mark Cornett (Haulin Ice): “It’s rare you see a horse like this that just wants to run and fire every time. What is this, her eighth win at Oaklawn? So, it’s pretty special. She did what she does here at Oaklawn. She broke and she finished the race strong. We really enjoy coming here and I know she loves it here.” | 
