Take Charge Milady Faces 12 in Honeybee Stakes

Take Charge Milady  takes on 12 talented 3-year-old fillies in the $500,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park Feb. 23, including the George Weaver-trained Five G , nine-length winner of the Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park Jan. 1. The 1 1/16-mile race was originally scheduled for Feb. 22, but has been moved due to winter weather. The Honeybee offers Road to the Kentucky Oaks points to the top five finishers on a scale of 50-25-15-10-5.

Take Charge Milady, a daughter of Take Charge Indy  , comes into the race off a win in the Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 25 for trainer Kenny McPeek. Julien Leparoux will ride for owners James Ball, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek), and Kenneth Rhodes. Quietside  finished second to Take Charge Milady in the Martha Washington, and returns Saturday to try and secure her first stakes win for trainer John Ortiz and Shortleaf Stable, who also own Honeybee entrant Jenkin , trained by Lindsay Schultz.

Quickick  is set to make her 3-year-old debut for trainer Tom Amoss following a break after a game third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar. Dylan Davis has the mount on the multiple graded stakes-placed daughter of McKinzie  .

"We gave her time off, by design, after the Breeders' Cup," Amoss said Feb. 17. "I thought we would get ready a little quicker than we did. It hurt us when it snowed down here, and we missed a few days. As much as I wanted to run down here (at Fair Grounds Race Course) and run her out of her stall, I didn't feel like I had done quite enough with her. I wanted one more work. So, go to Plan B and go to Oaklawn."

"It's an endorsement that Dylan's coming in to ride her," Amoss said. "Dylan has said since he got on her at Saratoga before she made her first start: 'I want to stay with this filly.' He won the title at (Belmont at the Big A) after that. I mean, Dylan doesn't have to stay on this horse if he didn't think she was a good horse."

Michael McCarthy will send out the California-based Look Forward , recent winner of the Santa Ynez Stakes Jan. 5 for Reddam Racing.

Undefeated Muhimma , a $700,000 yearling purchase by Shadwell Stable, will make her 3-year-old debut for trainer Brad Cox. She won the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack Dec. 7 to improve to 3-for-3. The rail-drawn filly is favored at 7-5 on the morning line.

"Super talent," said Cox. "Been good from day one. We'll see where she takes us, but she's obviously shown the ability to win from the 1 hole already, in a large field at Aqueduct."