Taraz Set to Return to Track With Honeybee in Sights

Taraz is set to return to the track Feb. 5 and that track is Oaklawn Park, where Juddmonte Farms' unbeaten homebred will begin preparations for the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies there March 7, trainer Brad Cox said Feb. 4.

Cox said the decision to remain at the Hot Springs, Ark., venue, and to keep the homebred daughter of Into Mischief  running against fillies, was made Monday after he and Juddmonte general manager Garrett O'Rourke conferred with Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, owner of the noted global racing and breeding operation.

Taraz, previously based at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, was a 3 3/4-length wire-to-wire winner of the $142,500 Martha Washington Stakes Saturday at Oaklawn in her 2020 and two-turn debut.

"They've raced champions throughout the world and know how to manage them," Cox said during training hours at Oaklawn. "When they talk, you listen."

The 1 1/16-mile Honeybee will offer 85 points to the top four finishers (50-20-10-5 on a sliding scale) toward starting eligibility for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 1 at Churchill Downs. But running in the Honeybee, Cox said, doesn't necessarily mean Taraz still won't challenge males in a prep leading up to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) May 2 at the Louisville oval.

"It's one race at a time, obviously," Cox said. "Right now, we've turned our attention toward the Honeybee and that's what we'll prepare for."

Cox said Taraz emerged "fantastic" from the Martha Washington, which marked her third consecutive eye-catching victory. A massive Kentucky-bred, Taraz won her debut by 7 1/2 lengths Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs and took the Letellier Memorial Stakes by 11 1/4 lengths going wire-to-wire Dec. 21 at Fair Grounds.

Not surprisingly, Taraz faced only three rivals Saturday. Despite being last away under regular rider Florent Geroux, she took command on the first turn and was never threatened through honest fractions of :47.50 for a half-mile and 1:12.44 for three-quarters of mile. Taraz completed the mile over a fast track in 1:38.64 and paid $2.20 as the overwhelming favorite.

"She broke a little flat-footed the other day, and I thought Florent maybe hustled her just a little bit to get position," Cox said. "That kind of maybe set her off just a little bit, where she was maybe just a touch tough to get back. But overall, she ran well. She galloped out fine. She's a big, huge filly with a gigantic stride. We're not trying to slow her down, we just want her to be able to relax. That's the thing. The goal is to kind of get her to go a mile and an eighth, maybe beyond. In doing that, she's going to have to, at some point in the race, be able to shut off and take that deep breath and relax in order to have a strong punch down the lane."

Cox said Taraz will probably work three times in advance of the Honeybee, Oaklawn's final major prep for the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 10. The Fantasy is also 1 1/16 miles. 

Taraz earned 10 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks for her Martha Washington victory, and the $90,000 winner's share pushed her total earnings to $192,412. She currently ranks seventh on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.