Banishing getting the better of Saudi Crown. (Kurtis Coady/Coady Media)
Haulin Ice Scores $250K Matron
David Longinotti/Oaklawn Park
UPDATED 3/29/25 10:25 PM
HOT SPRINGS (AR) – Razor-sharp Banishing outdueled even-money favorite Saudi Crown to win the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) for older horses.
Providing trainer David Jacobson with his third victory on the card, Banishing ($5.20) finished a length ahead of Saudi Crown, a millionaire Grade 1 winner. It was 9 ½ lengths farther back to The Wine Steward in third. The Oaklawn Mile was the third victory of the meeting for Banishing, a 5-year-old Ghostzapper gelding Jacobson co-owns with Lawrence Roman.
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Banishing stalked Saudi Crown entering the first turn and increased the pressure on the outside passing the half-mile pole. Banishing moved to the lead in the upper stretch and was edging away late to complete the mile over a good surface in 1:36.77. Stout fractions included a :46.01 half-mile and six furlongs in 1:09.68. One-mile races at Oaklawn begin and end at the sixteenth pole in the stretch. Banishing carried equal top weight of 124 pounds, 5 more than Saudi Crown.
Dimatic, Just Steel and I’m McDreamy completed the order of finish. Emmanuel and Payne, a four-time winner this season at Oaklawn, were scratched.
#3 BANISHING ($5.20) defeats #1 Saudi Crown in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3). Another win on the Arkansas Derby card for trainer David Jacobson and jockey Flavien Prat.
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 29, 2025
Tune in to @FanDuelTV for more @OaklawnRacing coverage, presented by @WinStarFarm. pic.twitter.com/0oNg3ZCfJQ
Earlier in the meeting, Banishing beat millionaire multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Tejano Twist in a Dec. 20 allowance race, then, in his stakes debut, won the inaugural $145,000 Byerley Turk by 7 ½ lengths Jan. 25. Both races were six furlongs.
Banishing was exiting a runner-up finish, beaten a head, in the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 23.
The Razorback, which Banishing nearly won in wire-to-wire fashion, was run in a meet-best 1:41.88. Banishing has flourished since Roman purchased the gelding for $80,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s July Horses of Racing Age Sale. Banishing subsequently won two races last fall in Kentucky before shipping to Oaklawn.
Banishing won for the seventh time in 17 starts, lifting his career earnings to $778,804.
OAKLAWN MILE QUOTES
WINNING CO-OWNER/TRAINER DAVID JACOBSON (BANISHING): “Very exciting. It’s like we planned. We weren’t sure whether we were going to be able to go with that horse, Saudi Crown, a fast horse. He set some OK fractions, but Banishing, he just doesn’t give up. He just doesn’t give up. He just lost the (head) bob last time. We got it back this time.”
WINNING JOCKEY FLAVIEN PRAT (BANISHING): “He’s never very good out of the gate, but today he jumped well and I
was able to stalk Saudi Crown. I felt like I was going well down the backside. He gave me a great effort.”
SECOND-PLACE JOCKEY FLORENT GEROUX (SAUDI CROWN): “He ran hard. Just got beat. The winner ran a great race. He was next to me. I was hoping I could hold on, but the winner kept digging and fought my horse all the way until the end. Second best.”
Haulin Ice Scores Matron
She ran her way into the record book.
Haulin Ice took control shortly after the start and roared to a front-running five-length victory in the $250,000 Matron Stakes to become the leading accredited Arkansas-bred female money winner in history.
Haulin Ice collected $149,250 for the victory, pushing her career total to $688,100. Haulin Ice eclipsed the now-retired Connie K, who earned $620,612 in a 28-race career from 2021-2024.
The Matron, upgraded to listed status for its third running, was for older fillies and mares at six furlongs.
Haulin Ice ($8.80) had no trouble stepping back into open company after toying with her competition in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Stakes for Arkansas-bred females at six furlongs March 1. Haulin Ice won the Downthedustyroad by six lengths. She nearly matched that margin in the Matron, which attracted five other entrants, including previously unbeaten Almostgone Rocket, the 3-5 favorite, and Oaklawn stakes winners Benedetta and American Band.
After breaking from post 6, Haulin Ice opened a clear advantage through a :21.98 opening quarter. Almostgone Rocket made a three-wide bid turning for home, but Haulin Ice had another gear and pulled away approaching the wire. The final time for six furlongs over a muddy, sealed surface was 1:09.31. That matched Wicked Halo’s winning time for the inaugural running in 2023.
Almostgone Rocket, in her 2025 debut and first start against older horses, held second, two lengths ahead of Benedetta, who was followed, in order, by defending champion American Band, Holly Dolly and Lady Moscato.
The Matron was the third career stakes victory and second in open company for Haulin Ice, who races for Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and co-owners C2 Racing Stable (brothers Clint and Mark Cornett), Paul Braverman, Miller Racing (Myron Miller) and Timothy Pinch. Joseph has a string this season at Oaklawn.
Haulin Ice was HOT in the Matron S. at Oaklawn Park!
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) March 29, 2025
Another win on the card for jockey Francisco Arrieta! @SaffieJosephJr trains.
This 4YO filly sure does love this track, with a 6-2-0 record from 8 starts over the oval.
TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/eAvyCpdiiU
Haulin Ice made her first five career starts (all at the 2023-2024 Oaklawn meeting) for trainer Lindsay Schultz before being sold privately last spring and transferred to Joseph. He has a string this season at Oaklawn. In addition to the Matron and Downthedustyroad, Haulin Ice won the $75,000 Azalea Stakes at sevenfurlongs July 13 at Gulfstream
Park, which marked her second start for Joseph. Overall, Haulin Ice, a 4-year-old gray daughter of Coal Front, has a 7-3-0 record from 13 starts. Haulin Ice also beat open company in an allowance sprint Dec. 22 at Oaklawn.
Haulin Ice, who originally raced for her breeder, Arkansan Eugenia Thompson-Benight, was named the 2024 Arkansas-bred Horse of the Year by the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Horsemen’s Association.
Nodouble, the country’s champion older horse in 1969 and 1970, is the leading accredited Arkansas-bred money winner in history ($846,749).
MATRON QUOTES
WINNING JOCKEY FRANCISCO ARRIETA (HAULIN ICE): “Man, these guys are doing an incredible job with this filly. She was looking so good in the post parade. She was sharp. She was happy. I was expecting more speed in the race. I saw the 5 (American Band) jump better than me, but when she (Haulin Ice) hit the ground, she took off. I let her go. I didn’t want to fight her, and I let her go. When she was by herself, she started doing it easier. I saw we went quick, but it was real easy. I looked at the screen (infield video board) and I saw I had a (comfortable lead). So, I knew I had it.”
