Rainbow and Rainbow Miss Stakes Recap
Compiled by Robert Yates
Contact: Chris Ho, Vice President of Marketing, cho@oaklawn.com, 501-623-4411 ext. 4201
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Photo Credit: Coady Media
LORD OF RHYMES - Rainbow Stakes - 52nd Running
Photo Credit: Coady Media
CALIENTE STAR - Rainbow Miss Stakes - 47th Running
$150,000 Rainbow Miss & $150,000 Rainbow
HOT SPRINGS, AR – Trainer Tammy Hornsby had to wait almost 12 years for her second career stakes victory. Her milestone third stakes victory came considerably sooner.
Even-money favorite Caliente Star remained unbeaten in three lifetime starts with a three-length victory in the $150,000 Rainbow Miss for accredited 3-year-old Arkansas-bred fillies Sunday at Oaklawn.
Caliente Star’s victory came just nine days after Hornsby, a longtime Hot Springs resident, captured the inaugural $145,000 Lapatourel Overnight Stakes for older fillies and mares March 28 at Oaklawn with Rose Palace. Caliente Star ($4) represented Hornsby’s 100th career victory, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.
Caliente Star, under Francisco Arrieta, was making her stakes debut after winning her first two starts at Oaklawn by a combined nine lengths. Arrieta’s only anxious moments Sunday came on the turn when Caliente Star was in traffic. But she accelerated out of trouble with a three-wide move passing the three-eighths pole to reach contention. Caliente Star drew off in the final furlong, covering six furlongs over a good track in 1:11.64.
Ministry’s Destiny finished second, a neck ahead of third-place finisher Strong Like Sara, who was followed, in order, by Plinko Chip, She’s a Dreamer, Morally Complex, Very Cosmopolitan and Millie’s Stardust. Sky High Angel was scratched.
Caliente Star, a daughter of Tapiture, raised her career earnings to $227,250 for owner Jama T. Lopez.
Hornsby’s first career stakes victory came with Wargamer in the $50,000 Razorback Futurity Sept. 21, 2013, at Louisiana Downs. A native of Minnesota, Hornsby saddled her first career winner Aug. 14, 2011, at Louisiana Downs.
In Sunday’s co-featured $150,000 Rainbow Stakes, Lord of Rhymes broke his maiden in the six-furlong race for accredited Arkansas-bred 3-year-olds.
Lord of Rhymes ($23) overcame traffic on the turn to post a three-quarter length victory over Gettinby. It was the fourth victory on the card for Arrieta, who rode Lord of Rhymes for co-owner/trainer Ernie Witt II and co-owners Glynn A. Puryear Jr. and Robert Tucker. Lord of Rhymes, second in his March 23 debut at Oaklawn, covered six furlongs over a good track in 1:11.44. Rock Solo, Hicko, Max Dot Socks, A P Ruly, Sweet Fantasy and 8-5 favorite War Mule completed the order of finish. Dawson James was scratched.
Lord of Rhymes has $93,250 in career earnings.
The Rainbow and Rainbow Miss highlighted an adjusted 12-race program. Oaklawn, in anticipation of severe weather, shifted its scheduled 11-race Saturday program to Sunday. The Saturday card was to include the Rainbow Miss. It was run as Sunday’s 10th race. Oaklawn scrapped Sunday’s originally scheduled nine-race program, with the exception of the Rainbow, which was run as the 12th race.
Racing resumes Friday at 12:20 p.m. (Central).
RAINBOW MISS QUOTES
WINNING JOCKEY FRANCISCO ARRIETA (CALIENTE STAR): “She’s still learning. She’s still looking around. Tammy (Hornsby) did a great job with her. The team did a great job. I have to thank everyone involved, all the connections. I think she can run longer, too. I think it will be much better for her, running longer.”
WINNING TRAINER TAMMY HORNSBY (CALIENTE STAR): “I thought I had the best horse in the race, but anything can happen. So, we’re blessed.”
RAINBOW QUOTES
WINNING JOCKEY FRANCISCO ARRIETA (LORD OF RHYMES): “It was a crazy trip. The horse is still a little green. I jump and I put him into the race. The 9 (War Mule) had better position than me and the 1 (Rock Solo), too. At the three-eighths pole, they got a jump on me and I was kind of a half-length in. My horse didn’t want to be there, so I took him back, which was crazy because I didn’t fight for the position. I took him back a little bit and was able to put him in the clear. That was great.”
WINNING CO-OWNER/TRAINER ERNIE WITT II (LORD OF RHYMES): “I’m trying to think if I used two conditions there. That’s OK. We’ll take it. I know he (Francisco Arrieta) was in a little trouble over in the turn. I didn’t think he was going to get out, but he did. It’s just a good horse. They give it to us and we take it.”
