AT THE POST

DAY 26 of 57

SATURDAY'S ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE 16,000

SATURDAY'S TOTAL HANDLE $5,163,943

SATURDAY'S ON-TRACK HANDLE $963,830

SATURDAY'S OFF-TRACK HANDLE $4,200,113

TODAY'S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Gulfstream Park, 11 a.m.; Aqueduct, 11:20 a.m.; Laurel Park, 11:30 a.m.; Tampa Bay, 11:35 a.m.; Fair Grounds, 12:30 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.

SUNDAY'S STARS

Orlando Mojica won three races, including the $200,000 Honeybee Stakes with Chocolate Kisses ($17.00, $6.00 and $4.00). Chocolate Kisses covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.78. Mojica won the fifth race with Mines Made Up ($8.80, $5.60 and $4.00), covering 6 furlongs in 1:10.90, and the sixth race with Indian Gulch ($7.20, $4.00 and $3.00), covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.17. On the season, Mojica has 13 wins in 73 starts.

Ramon Vazquez won two races. He won the first race with Goodwillambassador ($25.00, $10.40 and $6.80), covering 6 furlongs in 1:11.10. He won the second race with Count N Gold ($29.00, $8.80 and $5.20), covering 6 furlongs in 1:11.77. On the season, Vazquez has won 20 races in 143 starts.

Trainer Federico Villafranco won the first two races to improve his season totals to 14 victories in 62 starts. Trainer Robertino Diodoro won the fifth and sixth races to improve his season totals to 18 victories in 94 starts.

Tapa Tapa Tapa returns for Azeri

Tapa Tapa Tapa will return to Oaklawn for the $350,000 Grade II Azeri Stakes for older fillies and mares Saturday, said trainer Tim Hamm.

Tapa Tapa Tapa finished fourth in the $200,000 Honeybee Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in 2017 at Oaklawn. Tapa Tapa Tapa is coming off a 5-length victory in the $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes on Jan. 19 at Tampa Bay, where the 5-year-old daughter of Tapit is based.

"She's doing good," Hamm said. "She likes a lot of space between races, so this race kind of fit space-wise. It's pretty tough, I'm sure, but it looks like timing-wise it was a good spot."

Tapa Tapa Tapa has worked four times since the Wayward Lass, including a 5-furlong bullet (:59) Friday morning. Hamm said Tapa Tapa Tapa will be vanned to Oaklawn and is scheduled to arrive Wednesday morning. The Azeri will be her eighth start since the Honeybee.

"She's a filly that's been a little tough on herself," Hamm said. "She has, obviously, a lot of ability, and those kind are always tough on themselves. But she's really just got to do it her way and give her a lot of time. That's what we've been doing. She's doing as well as she ever has right now, so we'll see how it goes."

Tapa Tapa Tapa has a 5-2-1 record from 14 career starts, and earnings of $180,729.

The Azeri closed Thursday with 25 nominations. Other nominees include Elate and She's a Julie, the powerful winner of the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes on Feb. 18. The Bayakoa and Azeri are major local preps for the $750,000 Apple Blossom Handicap on April 14.

The Azeri, $1 million Grade II Rebel Stakes for 3-year-olds and $350,000 Essex Handicap for older horses will be part of a stakes tripleheader Saturday. Nominations to the 1 1/16-mile Rebel, which may be split, closed Friday. The 1 1/16-mile Essex closed Thursday with 34 nominations.

Post positions for the three races will be drawn Wednesday.

Information for this report was contributed by Oaklawn media department

Sports on 03/10/2019

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