3/20/2026 Barn Notes
Friday, March 20, 2026
A field of six was entered Friday for the $1 million Fantasy Stakes (G2) for 3-year-old fillies March 27 at Oaklawn.
The 1 1/16-mile Fantasy is Oaklawn’s third and final Kentucky Oaks qualifying race. The Fantasy will award 200 total points to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.
Fantasy entrants from the rail out: Search Party, Cristian Torres to ride, 122 pounds; Empath, Ramon Vazquez, 118; Counting Stars, Francisco Arrieta, 122; Taken by the Wind, Emmanuel Esquivel, 122; Sticker Shock, Irad Ortiz Jr., 118; and Explora, Flavien Prat, 122.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will try to remain unbeaten in Kentucky Oaks preps at Oaklawn with Explora, who exits a three-quarter length victory over Counting Stars in the $750,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) March 1. The 1 1/16-mile Honeybee was Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Oaks qualifying race.
Explora, a finalist for an Eclipse Award as North America’s champion 2-year-old filly, marked the first Honeybee starter for Baffert, who won the Fantasy in 1999 with Excellent Meeting and again in 2012 with Mamma Kimbo.
Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has three Fantasy entrants – Counting Stars, Search Party and Empath, a supplemental nominee. Search Party, in her stakes debut, won the $300,000 Martha Washington Feb. 6, a 1 1/16-mile race that was Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Oaks qualifying event. She ran fourth in the Honeybee.
Empath, who has never raced around two turns, broke her maiden March 14 at Oaklawn in her last start.
Grade 3 winner Taken by the Wind finished eighth in the Honeybee, her first loss in four lifetime starts. Taken by the Wind is trained by Kenny McPeek, who won the 2024 Fantasy with eventual Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna.
Sticker Shock (2 for 3 overall) will be making her stakes debut for trainer Brad Cox, who swept Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby qualifying series in 2023 with Wet Paint.
The Fantasy highlights a 12-race card that begins at 12:30 p.m. (Central). Probable post time for the Fantasy, the 11th race, is 5:54 p.m. The Fantasy is the country’s richest Kentucky Oaks qualifying race this year. It has a seven-figure purse for the first time in its 53-year history.
Skippy’s New Pilot
Skippylongstocking has taken some of the country’s biggest names for a ride in his 36-race career, including Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz and Tyler Gaffalione.
An 11-time stakes winner and career winner of $5,461,250, Skippylongstocking will have a new jockey Saturday at Oaklawn in Micah Husbands, who will ride the 7-year-old for the first time in the $500,000 Essex Handicap (G3) for older horses at 1 1/8 miles. Skippylongstocking won the 2024 Oaklawn Handicap and finished third last year.
Husbands is the nephew of Patrick Husbands, an eight-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s outstanding jockey. Micah Husbands began his North American riding career in July 2022 at Woodbine in Canada, but he is now based at Gulfstream Park, where, through Thursday, he had amassed 93 of his 115 career victories.
Husbands, who has never ridden at Oaklawn, is named on four horses Saturday, all for south Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. They teamed to win the Royal Delta Stakes (G3) Feb. 14 at Gulfstream Park with Claret Beret and the Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) March 7 at Gulfstream Park with R Disaster.
“He’s been riding for us for the last year,” Joseph said. “Obviously, I think he’s very talented. That’s why he’s part of our barn. He’s done well for us. On a ROI (return on investment), as far as the percentage on the ROI basis, which I’m big on monitoring, it’s very, very good. So, I think he’s very talented. I have a lot of confidence in him, obviously, especially on this horse.”
Joseph said he doesn’t believe Husbands has ever worked Skippylongstocking. Gaffalione has ridden the horse in his last two starts, victories in the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (G3) Dec. 20 and the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 24. Both races were at Gulfstream Park.
Joseph decided to send Skippylongstocking back to Oaklawn, rather than stay home for Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) March 28 at Gulfstream Park. Because it was a “last-minute decision,” Joseph said many of the country’s top riders weren’t available because of prior stakes commitments Saturday at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park.
Jose Ortiz was aboard Skippylongstocking in the 2024 Oaklawn Handicap. Ortiz’s brother, Irad Ortiz Jr., rode Skippylongstocking in last year’s edition.
“This was a last-minute decision, so Tyler was already committed,” Joseph said. “Some of the other riders, like Irad and (Flavien) Prat, they were already committed to other places. He (Husbands) was next in line in our rotation. We’re confident that he’s capable of riding these kind of horses. He’s already won a couple of graded stakes for us this year. Hopefully, the horse will do the job for him.”
The Royal Delta and Hurricane Bertie, both $175,000 events, represent Husbands’ most lucrative career North American victories to date. Claret Beret is pointing for the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 11 at Oaklawn, Joseph said.
Patrick Husbands, Micah Husbands and Joseph are all natives of Barbados.
Finish Lines
Two-time Oaklawn riding champion Cristian Torres rode four winners Thursday to pull into a 44-44 tie with Ramon Vazquez for leading rider. Torres won the first race aboard Master Mule ($16.20) for trainer Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez, second race aboard favored Nandina ($4.40) for trainer John Henry Prather Jr. of Hot Springs, third race aboard favored U Lite Up My Life ($4.40) trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and the fifth race aboard favored Troubler ($6.20) for trainer Norm Casse. … Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen won Thursday’s fourth race with favored Mintastic ($4). It was Asmussen’s meet-high 42nd victory and ninth consecutive racing day with at least one victory. … Mintastic was ridden by jockey Keith Asmussen, who won the seventh race aboard Clap Back ($10.60) for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. Clap Back was Moquett’s 384th career Oaklawn victory.
