OP Stakes Race Preview - $150,000 Downthedustyroad Stakes – Friday, Feb. 20

Haulin Ice seeks to become the $1 million woman in the six-furlong $150,000 Downthedustyroad Stakes for Arkansas-bred fillies and mares, 3 and up, Friday at Oaklawn.

The Downthedustyroad headlines a 10-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. CST. Probable post time for the Downthedustyroad, the eighth race, is 4:07 PM.

A 5-year-old gray daughter of Coal Front, Haulin Ice ($998,250) returns to Oaklawn trying to become the first accredited Arkansas-bred to reach $1 million in career earnings.

Haulin Ice became the leading accredited Arkansas-bred money winner in history with a victory in the Princess Rooney Stakes (G3) Sept. 20 at Gulfstream Park. Nodouble, the country’s two-time champion older horse, set the previous record ($846,749) in 1970.

Haulin Ice made her first five career starts at Oaklawn for trainer Lindsay Schultz before being privately purchased in the spring of 2024 and sent to Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Haulin Ice’s flashy resume features six stakes victories for Joseph, including a front-running six-length romp in the 2025 Downthedustyroad, two graded stakes victories, seven victories in open company and an appearance in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).

“We bought a filly that had obviously run well,” Joseph said. “We just wanted to see how she would compete outside of Oaklawn. She got beat in her first start. She ran second for us, which was just an OK performance. She continued to get better and better as she went on. To see her get that good, you can’t really say you expect that, but she’s just been incredible. She’s not a big filly, but she’s quite extraordinary.”

Haulin Ice boasts a 6-2-0 record at Oaklawn and earnings of $612,050. She’s 10 for 19 overall. Haulin Ice hasn’t started since finishing second, beaten a neck, in the Abundantia Stakes at 5 furlongs on the turf Dec. 27 at Gulfstream Park. The Abundantia was her grass debut.

“I feel like she’s every bit as good as she was last year,” Joseph said. “Our plan was to start her back at Oaklawn in an allowance there for Arkansas-breds at the beginning of the meet, but it didn’t fill. We were just kind of sitting on her and at the last minute decided to run her on the grass. She ran big on the grass, too, I think it opens up a lot of opportunities for her this year. We will put her back on the grass, eventually, during the summer.”

Haulin Ice has four published workouts at Palm Meadows Training Center in south Florida in advance of the Downthedustyroad, which drew a field of nine. Reunited with two-time Oaklawn riding champion Francisco Arrieta, Haulin Ice is scheduled to break from post 8 as the 1-2 program favorite.

“She’s speedy, but she doesn’t have to have the lead,” Joseph said. “She’s fast enough that she could end up on the lead. She’s drawn well, so, hopefully, she breaks well and she’ll be there for Francisco to decide what he wants to do.”

Haulin Ice’s biggest challenger, on paper, is Hush It Honey, the early 3-1 second choice for co-owner/trainer Randy Morse.

Hush It Honey beat Haulin Ice by three-quarters of a length in the $150,000 Rainbow Miss Stakes for 3-year-old Arkansas-bred filly sprinters in 2024 at Oaklawn. It was 15 ¼ lengths back to the third-place finisher. Haulin Ice, in her final start for Schultz, beat Hush It Honey by three-quarters of a length in a May 2024 open allowance sprint at Oaklawn.

Joseph said the Downthedustyroad is Haulin Ice’s prep for a return to open company in the $250,000 Matron Stakes for older female sprinters March 27 at Oaklawn. Haulin Ice won the six-furlong Matron last year by five front-running lengths.

“We know she loves Oaklawn, so right now we’re starting her out here,” said Joseph, who now trains Haulin Ice for C2 Racing Stable, WSS Racing and Agave Racing Stable. “She’ll come back in that race (Matron). That’s the plan right now, those two. And then as far as where we go through the rest of the year, we haven’t decided. We would like to get her back on the grass again because the filly that beat her (Moon Spun) came back and ran huge again. Right now, the only plan is Oaklawn.”