Ann Beeton Paving is set to make her two-turn debut in the $150,000 Year’s End Stakes for 2-year-old fillies this Saturday at Oaklawn. The race, which is the eighth of ten scheduled for the day, is expected to start at 3:52 p.m. CST, as part of Oaklawn’s fourth annual event dedicated exclusively to 2-year-old horses, with the one-mile Year’s End Stakes serving as the highlight.
Trained by Tom Amos, Paving (2-2) secured a two-and-a-half-length victory in a maiden race at Ellis Park on August 23rd and followed up with a similar margin win in the First Level Allowance at the Fairgrounds on December 4th. Both victories happened over six furlongs. Paving, a daughter of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, is co-trained alongside breeder Larry Hirsch of Highlander Training Center.
Gun Runner is considered a top global stallion. Paving’s lineage is impressive, with her second dam, Brownie Point, having produced Oaklawn Stakes winner Brownie Point, as well as G2 winner Synchrony, who won the 2018 Muniz Memorial at about 1 1/8 miles on turf, and G3 winner Chocolate Kiss, who triumphed in the 2019 Honeybee at Oaklawn over 1 1/16 miles on turf.
“I think she’ll grow,” said Amos. “She’s showing signs of development. In her second race, she appeared a bit off the pace and had to close strongly, which suits her running style.”
Paving, the program’s No. 2 choice at 5-2 odds, will start from post five with jockey Ramon Vazquez. Another front-runner, Counting Stars, enters the race with two wins and one loss and will be making his own two-turn debut after winning the first Astral Spa Overnight Stakes over six furlongs at Oaklawn on December 14th, with Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse aboard.
Other competitors include Kaboom, Copper Wind, Scott’s Law, Fizzy Lass, Sticker Shocked, Newtown Pike, and Authentic Cat. Copper Wind, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, won his debut on November 20th. Newtown Pike, with trainer Lindsey Schultz—who celebrated his first Oaklawn Stakes win at Year’s End in 2024—earned a six-furlong maiden victory at Suidbridge on October 5th.
Trainer Kenny McPeek aims for a third Year’s End victory with Sticker Shocked and Authentic Cat, both coming back after winning Oaklawn’s season opener on December 12th in their first special weight race at 1 1/16 miles. Scottsloe, a half-sister to multiple G1 winner Scottish Lassie, has won two of her three starts under trainer John Ortiz.
This article originally appeared in the Paulick Report on December 26, 2025.
Fan Take: This upcoming Year’s End Stakes is an exciting showcase of promising young talent, especially with horses like Paving stepping up to longer distances, hinting at their future potential. For horse racing fans, it offers a thrilling glimpse into the next generation of champions that could shape the sport’s landscape in the years to come.
