BLAME’s Wet Paint again made sure everyone takes her as a serious Kentucky Oaks (G1) threat on Saturday with a three-length victory in the Honeybee Stakes (G3).
The Godolphin homebred broke last and took up her spot in last place just over seven lengths off the leader in the 1 1/16 mile race run over a sloppy track. As they made their way down the backstretch, Wet Paint started picking off horses while positioned on the tail where she could easily slip past horses.
Jockey Flavien Prat decided to keep her in that spot throughout and never took her more than two paths out while urging her to the front. She didn’t get her head in front until the final sixteenth but a horse weaving into her gave her exactly the motivation she needed to bolt off and win by three lengths at the line.
Trained by Brad Cox, the BLAME daughter now has three wins in five starts and is undefeated this year with a victory in the Listed Martha Washington Stakes to kick off 2023. The filly’s two wins put her in first on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 70 points – seven points above the number two ranked horse.
Wet Paint is out of the Grade 3 placed Sky Painter, a daughter of multiple Grade 2 winner Skylighter. Those on the page also include Grade 2 winner Pixelate and stakes winners Speckled, Cave Hill, and Meru.
BLAME is also the sire of Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful Litigate and the broodmare sire of Champion 2-Year-Old Male and fellow Derby hopeful Forte.