Haulin Ice is headed to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) after crushing her foes in the $200,000 Princess Rooney Stakes (G3) Sept. 20 at Gulfstream Park.
C2 Racing Stable, Paul Braverman, Miller Racing, and Timothy Pinch purchased the Arkansas-bred daughter of Coal Front last year, and the now 4-year-old filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. will be pointed to the year-end championships at Del Mar a winner of five of her last six races and the highest-earning Arkansas-bred of all time.
The Princess Rooney was a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event, awarding the winner a fees-paid spot in the Nov. 1 Filly and Mare Sprint. Joseph also trained last year's Rooney winner Soul of an Angel, co-owned by C2, who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and be crowned champion female sprinter.
"(Haulin Ice) is unbelievable—back-to-back Rooneys and we're headed back to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint," C2's Clint Cornett said. "I'll tell you what, this little horse, since we bought her out of Oaklawn, she's a little grinder. We couldn't be any more excited for C2, Miller Racing, and all our partners. This is great.
"Last year was really stressful with how far (stretch-running) Soul of an Angel had to come from, but this little filly will be on the front end, and she's gonna see if she can get it.
"We couldn't be any happier for the breeders and everybody in Arkansas who has supported her."
READ: Haulin Ice Still Thrilling Her Previous Owners
Joseph has won the Princess Rooney three years in a row.
Sent off as the 2.50-1 second choice Saturday, Haulin Ice and jockey Edgard Zayas broke well from post 2 and didn't have to work that hard to grab the lead with an opening quarter of :23.01 over a dirt track rated good.
Haulin Ice turned up the pressure from there, and none of her six competitors had an answer. She led by 1 1/2 lengths through a half in :45.50, and her advantage grew to about four lengths as she clicked off six furlongs in 1:10.27. She completed the seven-furlong test in 1:22.80, crossing the wire 4 3/4 lengths in front.
Porta Pia Stables' Nerazurri finished second, and it was a half-length back to MyRacehorse and JR Ranch's Reputation in third.
Bred by Eugenia Thompson-Benight, Haulin Ice is the first foal of out of the unraced Half Ours mare She's Smoke. With the win, Haulin Ice surpassed two-time champion older horse Nodouble, who earned his money in 1967-70 dollars, as the leading earner in Arkansas-bred history. She has won 10 of 17 starts and earned $958,650.
Coal Front, also the sire of Rebel Stakes (G2) winner Coal Battle and Carter Stakes (G2) winner Crazy Mason, stood at Red River Farms in Louisiana this year for a fee of $2,000.
