The Honeybee (KYO) (Grade 3)- $750.000 Purse
OP- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
March 1, 2026
With fifty points for the KYO and a $750.000 purse on the line, we saw some of the best three-year-old fillies in the virtual racing world on the track for the Honeybee. In a softer field, Lady Lobo would not have been a 12/1 longshot, but that would be the case for the Riggins Racing filly. After the trainer purchased her for $1,125.000, she had two disappointing (but not necessarily terrible) starts, failing to earn a penny after being 4-for-4 to begin her career. In the Honeybee, Lady Lobo would remind everyone of how good she had been as a two-year-old and picked up the race’s grand prize. This is the second time that Riggins has won the Honeybee, but you have to go back to 2014 when he won with Iron Sloth. He’ll be hoping that history repeats itself in two months, since Iron Sloth went on to win the KYO that year. Jockey J R Velazquez is now a three-time winner, with all three of the victories coming in the last four years. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:41.77, the second quickest in the race’s history. Only Let Me Explain in 2024 was quicker, and just barely so. Here’s a look at how it happened:
(1/4 Mile- :22.95)- Bank Balance may have ended up being way over her head in this race, but the Williams9 filly got the chance to lead the field into the opening turn. Stalking the leader, we have Dreambits, for Mb Stables, and our eventual race winner from Riggins Racing, Lady Lobo, positioned to her outside. There’s a gap of about a length and a half to Luz International’s Unfinished Symphony, and the Mb Stables- trained Fire Missile runs right behind her. She’s a length ahead of the remaining four, who are all running alongside one another. Three Sixes (Pan Farms) has a head in front of the others while on the rail, then it’s Theresaplaceinfrance (Nakamura Stables), Woman On The Moon (Arindel), and Loyd (Royalty Stables).
(½ Mile- :47.10)- As Bank Balance tries to enjoy her fifteen minutes, or seconds, of fame, she is passed by Lady Lobo just as we hit the half mile point. More noteworthy, Lady Lobo pulled a full length ahead of Dreambits during the portion of the race, and that’s a margin that Dreambits would be fighting to get back all the way to the wire. Unfinished Symphony and Fire Missile are lined up behind them, and behind her, Three Sixes runs to the inside of Woman On The Moon and Theresaplaceinfrance. Loyd is now all by herself at the back.
(Top of The Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Lady Lobo is strong in the backstretch, and at the top of the far turn, she’s a length and a half ahead of Bank Balance, while Dreambits moves to the outside of that one, looking to make up ground. Midway into the turn and at the top of the stretch, it looked like this was solely going to be a two-horse race. Lady Lobo was cruising, looking very impressive, but so too, was Dreambits. Behind them, there was about a 2-3 length gap to the rest of the field, but we do have some known closers in here, so we can’t give up on the others yet. While Unfinished Symphony was third, she was lacking response. Woman On The Moon was going to be the first to take a run, doing so on the outside. Three Sixes might have been somewhat delayed to make her move due to the rapidly tiring Bank Balance. Theresaplaceinfrance was also hitting her best stride.
(Finish- 1:41.77)- In the stretch, Lady Lobo was digging in to hang on over Dreambits, and would not allow that one to get by, going on to win by a quarter of a length. Three Sixes was explosive in the stretch, only getting third today, but certainly put her finishing kick on display. Woman On The Moon is fourth, also running well late, though that is overshadowed by Three Sixes. Theresaplaceinfrance is the best of the rest, beating Fire Missile, Unfinished Symphony, and Loyd. I’m told that eventually Bank Balance did find her way across the finish, as well.
About The Winner- Lady Lobo, trained by Riggins Racing and ridden to victory by J R Velazquez, is a three-year-old filly by Conquest and is out of Bay Area. She was bred in Florida by Wood Duck Stables as a yearling and was acquired by Riggins Racing from Fractious for $1,125.000 in a September 2025 private sale. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fifth in seven starts, her fourth stake win and third graded win. Her career earnings are now $888.000.
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES