Pure Clan, Eight Belles face off in Honeybee

Eight Belles was an easy winner of the Martha Washington last out (Coady Photography)

Undefeated Grade 2 winner PURE CLAN (Pure Prize) will hook up with impressive

stakes victress EIGHT BELLES (Unbridled's Song) for the first time on Saturday

when the two break from Oaklawn Park's starting gate in the $100,000 Honeybee S.

(G3). Trained by Bob Holthus, Pure Clan has yet to face a challenge from a rival

in four starts, but has overcome trouble to keep her record perfect. The

chestnut lass was a 7 3/4-length winner of her maiden debut, which has been her

only clear trip to date. She ran six wide in her next race, an allowance;

bobbled at the start and squeezed before capturing the Pocahontas S. (G3); and

bobbled, was steadied and five wide in the Golden Rod S. (G2) last out. Julien

Leparoux, aboard for all those starts, will try to give Pure Clan a cleaner trip

in the Honeybee.

Eight Belles recorded the largest stakes-winning margin at Oaklawn Park since

its inception in 1904, scoring by 13 1/2 lengths when taking

the Martha Washington S. last out. That was the Larry Jones trainee's first

black-type attempt, and she continued her trend of winning by huge margins. The

gray lass broke her maiden by 10 lengths at Delaware Park in late November, and

posted a 15-length win in an allowance prior to her stakes victory most

recently. Ramon Dominguez will be in the three-year-old's saddle for the first

time on Saturday.

While Pure Clan and Eight Belles are the top draws in the Honeybee, trainer

D. Wayne Lukas will try to slip COZY MESA (Sky Mesa) into the winner's circle.

The Hall of Fame conditioner captured the first four runnings of the test, and

added a fifth win in the 1 1/16-mile event last year. Cozy Mesa brings two wins

in the Honeybee, but was well back when facing graded rivals in the Forward Gal

S. (G2) and Old Hat S. (G2) in her past two. The dark bay filly could use the

added ground in this one, however, to give a better accounting of herself.