Betting a double in the Honeybee Stakes

I certainly won’t get points for thinking outside the box, but I believe #1 Motu is the filly to beat in Saturday’s $300,000 Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn Park.

With 50 Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualification points on the line, the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee has attracted nine 3-year-old fillies to the entry box. In terms of Brisnet Speed ratings, Motu narrowly ranks as the fastest horse in the field and tough to beat for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Motu has already shown promise on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Last fall she produced a determined rally to finish second in the 1 1/16-mile Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs, where she was less than a length by four-time stakes winner and early Kentucky Oaks (G1) favorite Finite. After a couple of months off, Motu returned to action in the 1-mile and 40-yard Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs and ran evenly to finish third.

Motu was beaten in the Suncoast by #3 Turtle Trax, her chief rival in the Honeybee. But Motu defeated Turtle Trax by nine lengths in the Golden Rod, and I expect Motu to take a step forward off her seasonal debut. McPeek wins at a 16% rate with horses running for the second time off a layoff, significantly higher than his 12% overall strike rate.

It’s also worth noting Motu will be reunited Saturday with jockey Brian Hernandez, who guided the daughter of Paynter in the Golden Rod.

Betting Motu to win is a straightforward way to play the Honeybee, but if you want to boost the potential payoff, why not single her in the second leg of a daily double? The Honeybee is preceded on the Saturday card by the $150,000 Hot Springs S. (Race 8), a 6-furlong dash where #3 Whitmore and #4 Share the Upside loom as standouts. They ran 1-2 in the 2019 Hot Springs (Whitmore prevailed by 1 1/2 lengths), and they swept the exacta again in Oaklawn’s King Cotton S. on Feb. 8, though Share the Upside reversed the order of finish.

Whitmore and Share the Upside top Saturday’s field in terms of Brisnet Speed ratings, and one or the other should land in the winner’s circle. We’ll use both in our double with Motu.

$10 Race 8 Daily Double: 3,4 with 1 ($20)

Good luck!