HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Haulin Ice will be honored as the 2024 Arkansas-bred of the year during the annual banquet of the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association on March 28, according to the organization’s executive secretary, Deana Echols.

Haulin Ice led all registered Arkansas-breds in earnings last year with $447,350. She is a multiple stakes winner and is scheduled to run Saturday at Oaklawn in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad.

Eugenia Thompson-Benight bred Haulin Ice. She is a 4-year-old daughter of Coal Front, the same sire as Rebel winner Coal Battle.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Cornucopian made a statement on the Rebel undercard at Oaklawn Park on Sunday, when he won his career debut by more than five lengths with a Beyer Speed Figure of 101. It’s the third-best number put up by a 3-year-old so far this year in North America.

“Down the stretch there, it was a wow kind of race,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

Cornucopian broke sharply under Irad Ortiz Jr. and proceeded to set fractions of 21.86 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.50 for the half-mile before continuing on to cover six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.02.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The first three finishers from the Grade 3, $500,000 Honeybee on Sunday at Oaklawn Park all intend to continue down the path toward the Kentucky Oaks, their respective trainers said Tuesday.

Quietside was a one-length winner of the Honeybee after breaking from post 12 and for the effort she picked up 50 points for the Kentucky Oaks. The multiple Grade 1-placed filly races for her breeder, Shortleaf Stable, and leads all of her peers in points with 68.

After initially thinking a two-week turnaround might be too close back, the connections of My Mitole on Sunday entered their 3-year-old in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

My Mitole drew the outside post in the 10-horse Gotham, a one-turn mile race that offers its top five finishers qualifying points (50-25-15-10-5) toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby. As My Mitole is not yet nominated to the Triple Crown – he can still be for a $6,000 fee by March 31 – the Gotham may be more about being the best option for My Mitole at this stage.

During 2024, Cherie DeVaux’s sixth full year as a trainer, she nearly doubled her stable earnings from 2023, going from $5 million and change to more than $10 million.

DeVaux is likely on track for an even better 2025. Daily Racing Form found nine Fair Grounds-based horses worth talking about in a Sunday telephone interview with DeVaux, and that doesn’t include the three she ran in Sunday stakes at Oaklawn, where Justique won the Carousel.