HOT SPRINGS (AR) – Lightly-raced but unbeaten Simply Joking will face Honeybee Stakes (G3) winner Quietside and eight others after being entered Sunday in Oaklawn’s premiere event for 3-year-old fillies, the $750,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) which will be run Saturday, March 29.

The 1 1/16-miles Fantasy Stakes, which offers 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the winner, serves as the counterpoint to the $1,500,000 Arkansas Derby (G1) on Saturday’s card that will begin with a first race post time of 11:20 a.m. CDT. Last year’s Fantasy Stakes winner, Thorpedo Anna, went on to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and be named Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Horse of the Year.

Trained by Whit Beckman, Simply Joking is coming off a victory in the 1 mile and 70 yards $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes in January at the Fair Grounds. Prior to that, the daughter of Practical Joke broke her maiden in her career debut in the six-furlong $100,000 Letelier Memorial in December. To be ridden by Jamie Torres, Simply Joking will break from the No. 7 post position in the 10-horse Fantasy Field.

Quietside, owned by John Ed Anthony’s Shortleaf Stable, has never finished worse than third in six lifetime starts while facing some of the best runners of her generation. Trained by John Ortiz, Quietside drew the No. 5 post and will be ridden for the second time by Jose Ortiz, who was aboard for her one-length score in the Honeybee. Prior to the Honeybee, Quietside was second to Fantasy entrant Take Charge Milady in Oaklawn’s $300,000 Marth Washington Stakes in her 3-year-oold debut.

The complete Fantasy Stakes field, in post position order, with jockey and morning line odds:

1.   Take Charge Milady, Brian Hernandez, Jr., 6-1

2.   California Sunset, Florent Geroux, 12-1

3.   Kinzie Queen (S), Fancisco Arietta, 10-1

4.   Princess Em Too, John Velazquez, 15-1

5.   Quietside, Jose Ortiz, 2-1

6.   Necessity, Richardo Santana Jr., 10-1

7.   Simply Joking, Jaime Torres, 8-5

8.   Baytown Butterfly, Marshall Mendez, 30-1

9.   Princess Aliyah, Nik Juarez, 12-1

10. Running N Gunnin, Flavien Prat, 20-1