HOT SPRINGS -- Morning-line favorites in stake races are rarely ranked as highly as Bye Bye J.
On the other hand, fillies with her credentials rarely qualify for stakes races against Arkansas-bred horses.
The two features on today's 10-race card at Oaklawn Park are the $100,000, 6-furlong Rainbow Stakes for 3-year-old Arkansas-bred horses, and the Rainbow Miss for the same purse at the same distance for 3-year-old Arkansas-bred fillies.
Post-times for the Rainbow and Rainbow Miss are scheduled for 4:20 p.m. and 5:25 p.m., respectively.
A daughter of Uncaptured and maternal granddaughter of Awesome Again trained by Ron Moquett, Bye Bye J is set for her seventh career start, a run that includes a win in the $75,000, 6-furlong House Party Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Dec. 8. She also earned a second-place finish in Gulfstream's Grade III $150,000, 7-furlong Forward Gal Stakes on Feb. 2.
In a field of seven other fillies, each devoid of previous stakes experience, Bye Bye J's class edge helps to explain her status as the 1-2 morning-line favorite.
"If Mr. Lieblong's horse runs, the race is over," Burl McBride said.
McBride trains long-shot Rainbow Miss entrant Bendi Blu and Tapit Star, the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the Rainbow.
In Bye Bye J's last start, she finished fifth out of nine as the 9-5 favorite in Oaklawn's $150,000, 6-furlong Purple Martin Stakes.
"She was in a tough race the other day," McBride said of Bye Bye J. "If she don't fire, we'll have a chance."
"We're ready," Moquett said. "All we need is a nice trip, a clean run. I worry about all of the others in there, but I think we should be very competitive with a good trip."
The Rainbow Miss field includes Tiger Bait. A daughter of Oxbow trained by Karl Broberg, Tiger Bait is undefeated in two career starts, both at Oaklawn. Willis Horton's Another Rocket, a daughter of Laurie's Rocket trained by Steve Asmussen, is the 5-1 morning-line second-choice.
Tapit Star has a career record in four starts, all at Oaklawn, of 1-2-0 and worked four furlongs in 49.20 on Monday. Ernie Witt trains gelding Rusty Cage, by Laurie's Rocket, the 3-1 morning-line second-choice in the Rainbow.
"[Tapit Star] is a nice colt that does everything right, and he's trained just right headed into it," McBride said. "He was well within himself the other day."
McBride said Tapit Star's fitness benefited from a second-place effort at 1 1/16 miles on March 28.
"He probably got as much out of it mentally as he did physically," McBride said. "He learned a lot."
Sports on 04/20/2019