Terra Promessa wins stakes debut in Honeybee

Mar 13, 2016 Jennifer Caldwell/Brisnet.com

Terra Promessa had never faced stakes company prior to Saturday’s $200,000 Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn Park, but the bay filly had no difficulty in pulling off the 6 1/2-length victory against her five rivals.

Trained by Steve Asmussen for Stonestreet Stables, Terra Promessa bided her time in midpack under regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr. as Cosmic Evolution led the way down the backstretch. She began rallying nearing the turn, had the lead entering the stretch and drew off to stop the clock in 1:47.14 for 1 1/16 miles on the muddy, sealed main track at Oaklawn.

The Kentucky homebred not only captured her stakes bow in the Honeybee but also made her debut on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) leaderboard with the top prize of 50 points. The Honeybee is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series of points races and offered up 50-20-10-5 points to the respective top four finishers.

Terra Promessa’s stablemate Nickname took home the second-place points and another 4 1/2 lengths back in third was Cosmic Evolution, who also made her first appearance on the leaderboard with 10 points. Dorodansa rounded out the top four.

Terra Promessa already owns valuable winning experience at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Oaks, after breaking her maiden under the Twin Spires by a length last November. That was her second career start and final race as a juvenile. The Curlin filly made her sophomore bow at Oaklawn on February 5 and sailed home by nine lengths in an allowance that day.

Now 4-3-0-1, $200,600 in her career, Terra Promessa is out of the multiple stakes-winning Yes It’s True mare Missile Bay.