Whoa Nellie, a 4-year-old daughter of Orb, won in her stakes debut this Saturday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Going off as the 2-1 favorite in the 1-mile Pippin Stakes, Whoa Nellie stamped her dominance with a 4 ½-length victory over stakes winner Special Relativity.
Despite her name, the 4-year-old Orb filly was content to race behind the early leaders as Lady Suebee took the field through fractions of :22 4/5 and :46 2/5 for the first half mile. Whoa Nellie began to make her move five wide entering the stretch and took off under a confident ride by Joe Rocco Jr. to win in a final time of 1:39 2/5 over a track upgraded to good.
Trained by Larry Jones, Whoa Nellie was bred by Doug and Felicia Branham, and is owned by Fox Hill Farm. The winner improved her record to five wins from nine starts and has now earned $256,230. Last time out, Whoa Nellie won an allowance optional claimer going a mile at Turfway Park, making her a dual-surface winner.
Whoa Nellie will be pointed for the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) Feb. 17, Jones said.
Orb stands at Claiborne Farm for $10,000.