The progressive Wet Paint booked her spot alongside fellow Godolphin 3yo filly Pretty Mischievous in this year’s Kentucky Oaks as she powered home for a remarkable win in the 1700m Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.
The Brad Cox-trained filly, a homebred daughter of Blame, had quickened from last to first when scoring in the Listed Martha Washington Stakes over the same course and distance in January, and once again found herself at the rear of the 12 runners following a sluggish start. Flavien Prat cut every corner down the inside rail but Wet Paint still had eight lengths to make up on the leader Condensation turning for home.
The pair looked set for a midfield finish after making modest headway in the straight before displaying an electric turn of foot between horses in the final 200m, taking her from sixth to first in a matter of strides.
RAIL THE PLACE TO BE
Wet Paint skipped away from the field for an easy success on a sloppy track, moving her to the head of the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 70 points. Brad Cox said: “Flavien stayed on the rail, which I think was the most important thing.
It was a great ride, a very patient ride. He had a lot more to do at the 400m pole compared to the Martha Washington but Wet Paint keeps improving and she should like going a mile and eighth.
We have to figure out a way of getting her to the Oaks and I think the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes back here would be the logical spot moving forward.” Flavien Prat added: “I was far back down the back. The pace was slow but I didn’t think I had much chance from where I was.
Wet Paint definitely kicked home well and she likes to run from behind. She really showed a nice turn of foot.”
