From the Oaklawn Park Media Team / Robert Yates:

Asked what brought him back to Oaklawn for the first time in many years, owner Mark Cornett said he wanted to witness history.

Did Haulin Ice ever deliver.

Heavily favored Haulin Ice became the first accredited Arkansas-bred to reach $1 million in career earnings with a front-running 11 ¾-length tour de force in Friday’s $150,000 Downthedustyroad Breeders’ Stakes. The Downthedustyroad, restricted to Arkansas-bred fillies and mares, 3 and up, was Haulin Ice’s 11th victory in 20 starts overall and raised her earnings to $1,081,500.

Five months after becoming the leading accredited Arkansas-bred money winner in history, Haulin Ice won the Downthedustyroad in the fastest six furlongs of the meeting (1:08.75) under Francisco Arrieta.

“I wanted to be here when she broke ($1 million in career earnings),” Cornett, a Florida resident, said moments after the Downthedustyroad. “I love this place. I love Arkansas. I’ve got deep roots here in racing. I’ve won, probably, over a 100 races here, a lot of stakes. It’s just a great spot, horse friendly. I call it the mini-Saratoga meet. I just love it here.”

Then based in Texas, Cornett’s Turf Express, Inc. enjoyed a successful run in the early 2000s at Oaklawn with the late Cole Norman, who topped the local trainer standings six consecutive years (2001-2006). But none of Cornett’s winners during that era in Hot Springs compiled a resume like that of Haulin Ice, a 5-year-old gray daughter of millionaire Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Front.

Haulin Ice made her first five career starts in 2024 at Oaklawn for trainer Lindsay Schultz and the mare’s breeder, Arkansan Eugenia Thompson-Benight, before being privately purchased by Cornett’s C2 Racing Stable in the spring of 2024 and sent to Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Haulin Ice has collected seven career stakes victories for Cornett and Joseph, including two in graded company, and appeared in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Cornett secured Haulin Ice after she beat open company for the first of seven times to date in a May 3, 2024, allowance sprint at Oaklawn.

“I saw her run and I called Lindsay,” Cornett said. “I’m a big pace kind of internal-fraction guy and she did some special things internally. Even though she was just a young 3-year-old filly, I thought she showed enough talent where we could eventually win a graded stakes with her and we did.”

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 has been nearly unstoppable at Oaklawn, boasting a 7-2-0 record from nine starts and earning $695,300. She won the 2025 Downthedustyroad by six front-running lengths in a stakes-record 1:10.26. Haulin Ice ($2.40) destroyed that mark Friday.

“She was just cruising the whole way,” Cornett said. “She had more in the tank, I thought.”

Joseph was using the Downthedustyroad as a prep for the six-furlong $250,000 Matron Stakes for older fillies and mares March 27 at Oaklawn. Haulin Ice whipped open company in last year’s Matron by five front-running lengths. The 2026 Matron will likely be Haulin Ice’s Oaklawn swan song, Cornett said.

“This will probably be her last year to run and then she’ll be sold in Fasig-Tipton’s November stars sale, more than likely,” Cornett said.

Cornett and his brother, Clint, now race Haulin Ice with WSS Racing (William Simon) and Agave Racing Stable (Mark Martinez). Haulin Ice was to depart Sunday for her Florida base, Joseph said.

Haulin Ice’s 3-year-old full sister, She’s So Coal, broke her maiden by 12 front-running lengths in an Arkansas-bred maiden special weight route Dec. 27 at Oaklawn. Arrieta rode She’s So Coal for Schultz and Thompson-Benight.

Haulin Ice and She’s So Coal are both out of She’s Smoke, a daughter of Half Ours.

 

Awesome Aaron

Grade 3 winner Awesome Aaron had his second published workout this season at Oaklawn, covering three furlongs in :36.80 on a chilly Friday morning for trainer Norm Casse. The track was fast.

Casse, on behalf of owner Frank Turman, claimed Awesome Aaron for $40,000 out of a Sept. 26, 2024, victory at Churchill Downs. Awesome Aaron has two victories for Casse, capturing a 1 1/16-mile allowance last April at Oaklawn and the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) at 1 3/16 miles in May at Pimlico.

Awesome Aaron is unraced since finishing second in the 1 1/8 mile Battery Park Stakes Sept. 28 at Delaware Park.

“We gave him 90 days off after his last start and brought him back down here with the intention of, hopefully, finding something by the end of the meet,” Casse said Friday morning. “We’d love to run him one time before the end, but there’s really no timetable.”

Awesome Aaron had his first published workout since the Battery Park Feb. 12, when he went three furlongs in :38.40. A 7-year-old gelded son of Practical Joke, Awesome Aaron has a 6-4-6 record from 37 lifetime starts and earnings of $665,763.

After a slow start in 2025-2026 at Oaklawn, Casse has won five races since the Classic racing season began Feb. 5. He has six victories overall after favored Manfredi ($6.80) took the Saturday nightcap under Luis Saez.

“The first part of the meet was frustrating, but I’ve been very happy with the way the horses have been running,” Casse said. “They’ve all been running well for us. A lot of Oaklawn is being in the right races at the right time. Kind of got to get lucky with the way that the condition book goes. Feels like we’re kind of getting into that rhythm again.”

Casse has a 22-percent career strike rate at Oaklawn (45 of 202) since he began wintering in Hot Springs in 2021-2022. Oaklawn’s 2025-2026 meeting ends May 2.

 

Finish Lines

Following Sunday’s card, racing resumes Thursday at Oaklawn. First post is 12:30 p.m. CST. … Jockey Ramon Vazquez won two races Saturday to take sole possession of the lead in the race for leading rider. Vazquez won the first race aboard Special Ops ($10.40) for trainer Rob Atras and the fifth race aboard What’s the Tea ($8.80) for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Vazquez has 30 victories, one more than two-time Oaklawn riding champion Cristian Torres, after 24 days of racing. Vazquez has never won an Oaklawn riding title. He has surged to the top with 11 victories this week, including five Monday to equal his Oaklawn high. … Vazquez will ride multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Quietside in the $400,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares March 7, trainer John Ortiz said Sunday morning. Quietside, under Vazquez, worked a half-mile in :47.40, Saturday morning. Other early Azeri probables are champion Nitrogen and multiple Grade 1 winner La Cara for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and Standoutsensation for trainer Tom Amoss. The Azeri is Oaklawn’s final major prep for the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 11. Both races are 1 1/16 miles. … Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen saddled two winners Saturday, pushing his career Oaklawn total to a record-extending 1,018. Asmussen won the second race with Tis Charming($8.60) and the ninth race with Miss Arlington ($8.60). Asmussen’s youngest son, Erik Asmussen, rode Tis Charming and the trainer’s oldest son, Keith Asmussen, rode Miss Arlington. Steve Asmussen also owns both winners. He has a meet-high 25 victories as a trainer and a meet-high seven as an owner. Miss Arlington was Asmussen’s 159th career victory at Oaklawn as a sole owner. He was co-leading owner at the 2024-2025 meeting.