3YO Arkansas-breds Take Center Stage Saturday at Oaklawn

April 7, 2023

Rainbow Miss favorite Bennykayandsuzytoo breaks her maiden Jan. 28 (Coady Photography)

Oaklawn Park Press Release

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.— Midnight Taxes and Bennykayandsuzytoo have been installed program favorites for the $150,000 Rainbow Stakes and $150,000 Rainbow Miss Stakes, respectively, Saturday at Oaklawn.

The 6-furlong stakes, both restricted to Arkansas-breds, headline an 11-race program that begins at 12:35 p.m. (Central). Probable post time for the Rainbow, which goes as the eighth race, is 4:25 p.m. The Rainbow Miss, for fillies, goes as the 10th race, with probable post time 5:35 p.m.

The projected eight-horse Rainbow field from the rail out: Chupapi Munyayo, Marcelino Pedroza Jr. to ride, 122 pounds, 8-1 on the morning line; King Peanut, Francisco Arrieta, 122, 2-1; Debater, Jon Court, 115, 30-1; Bohemian Bo, Freddy Manrrique, 115, 10-1; Midnight Taxes, Nik Juarez, 122, 7-5; Huey Duey, Alberto Pusac, 115, 10-1; Choctaw Zip, Cristian Torres, 122, 15-1; and Stuck N Snow, Luis Quinonez, 122, 6-1.

Midnight Taxes is bidding to give 2015 Oaklawn training champion Chris Hartman his first career Rainbow victory. A $170,000 OBS 2-year-old in training purchase, Midnight Taxes began his racing career in Southern California with trainer Jeff Mullins before being moved earlier this year to Hartman at Oaklawn. The speedy Midnight Taxes has made two starts at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting – both sprints against older state-breds – breaking his maiden Feb. 25 and finishing second in a March 11 entry-level allowance.

“We’re super happy that we’re back with 3-year-olds,” Hartman said. “One of the few opportunities you get to run an Arkansas-bred with 3-year-olds, so we’re happy to be back with them.”

King Peanut an impressive winner on debut (Coady Photography)

Lightly raced King Peanut (two career starts at Oaklawn) was a seven-length winner of his Dec. 31 career debut and finished third against older horses in a first-level allowance sprint Feb. 26 for trainer Dan Peitz.

Stuck N Snow, out of 2011 Rainbow Miss winner All About Allie, exits a five-length maiden victory March 25 at Oaklawn for trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel. It was the fifth start of the meeting for Stuck N Snow, who came from well off the pace after pressing the early lead in prior starts. All of Stuck N Snow’s races in 2022-2023 at Oaklawn have been against state-bred rivals, including Midnight Taxes and King Peanut.

“With the different racing style he displayed when he broke his maiden, I hope that means he’s going to make a little better horse than he was showing with the pace,” Von Hemel said. “Eight-horse field and we drew the outside. Think it’s a good post for him. He can just settle and hopefully make the same kind of run next time.”

The projected 12-horse Rainbow Miss field from the rail out: Count It All Joy, Tyler Baze to ride, 115 pounds, 30-1 on the morning line; Summorya, Marcelino Pedroza Jr., 122, 9-2; She’s Storming, Kylee Jordan, 122, 6-1; Betty Jo, Mitchell Murrill, 115, 20-1; Fly Like the Wind, Nik Juarez, 122, 12-1; Ms Carroll County, Kelsi Harr, 122, 15-1; Doughty, Martin Garcia, 122, 20-1; Mozingo, Cristian Torres, 122, 7-2; Bennykayandsuzytoo, Francisco Arrieta, 122, 2-1; Unbearable, Gabriel Saez, 115, 30-1; Sassy Lass, Chel-c Bailey, 122, 12-1; and Lassie My Girl, Isaac Castillo, 122, 12-1.

Bennykayandsuzytoo is trying to become a three-time winner at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting after scoring sharp front-running victories in her last two starts against state-breds for trainer John Henry Prather Jr. of Hot Springs. Bennykayandsuzytoo broke her maiden by 4 ½ lengths Jan. 28 and was a three-length entry-level allowance winner Feb. 18. Both sprints were against older horses.

“She’s got a good chance, a very good chance,” Prather said. “She’ll be a forward factor. Some of those horses in there have a lot of speed, but she’s just naturally fast. If everything goes right, she’ll be on top of them, hopefully.”

Mozingo, who is trained by Tom Amoss, hasn’t started since a first-level allowance victory sprinting against older state-breds March 10 at Oaklawn. She was among a career-high three winners on the card for Jerry Caroom of Hot Springs, who entered the week as Oaklawn’s leading owner this season. Caroom said he named Mozingo after Erin Mozingo, a stranger he met several years ago on a Destin, Fla., beach.

“Blonde hair, blue eyes,” Caroom said. “Her last name was so unusual that I named the horse after her.”

Summorya beat state-breds in her Dec. 31 career debut – the first card in Oaklawn history exclusively for 2-year-olds – before finishing second behind Bennykayandsuzytoo Feb. 18 for co-owner/trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. Summorya has been favored in all four career starts.

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