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Pauline’s Pearl Gives Asmussen Third Houston Ladies Classic Victory

A very successful renewal of the Houston Racing Festival at Sam Houston Race Park took place on Sunday afternoon in Houston, Texas, with exciting performances throughout the program and tremendous support by horseplayers here and across the country.

For the second year in a row, Sam Houston Race Park set a new all-source handle record with $5.98 million wagered on the 11-race program. This number topped last year's wagering record of 5.3 million and the $5.2 million wagered on the NTRA Great State Challenge in 2002.

Stonestreet Stable LLC's homebred Pauline's Pearl won the richest race on the card, the Grade 3, $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic.

It was the third win in the Houston Ladies Classic for Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, who trained previous winners Midnight Bisou and Lady Apple. On Sunday, Pauline's Pearl, at odds of 3-5, joined the list as his third winner of the featured race since the Houston Ladies Classic was inaugurated in 2013.

“This is a very key race and the mares who have won this have a big say in the stakes for older mares,” said Asmussen. “Pauline's Pearl is a very nice Stonestreet homebred who has been training extremely well and we are proud of this victory.”

Asmussen spoke about the future of the talented filly.

“She won the Fantasy at Oaklawn last year, so we will head back to Hot Springs and hope she continues to progress,” he added.

The multiple graded stakes placed filly won the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park last spring before competing in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). She is a daughter of Tapit and is out of the Dixie Union mare Hot Dixie Chick, a multiple graded stakes winner who Asmussen also trained during her racing career.

With her share of the Houston Ladies Classic purse, Pauline's Pearl is just shy of becoming racing's newest millionaire, with $968,500 earned in 11 starts and four wins.

The victory gave Joel Rosario his second stakes win of the day. The pair sat off the pace early and had their work cut out for them as they swung wide in the final turn and pulled clear of runner-up Golden Curl in the stretch to win by 3 3/4 lengths. The final time for the mile and one-sixteenth on the main track stake on the main track was 1:44.43. Golden Curl sat comfortably in second place throughout the race with Tyler Gaffalione aboard for trainer Shawn Davis.

“The trip set up beautifully for us,” said Gaffalione. “She broke alertly and the favorite went ahead. I was able to get to her outside. She settled nicely and even though we couldn't catch the winner, my filly gave a good performance today.”

The 6-year-old Curlin mare is also bred by Stonestreet and is owned by George Sharp. She made her debut in Houston in the Ladies Classic and was a stakes winner at Remington last fall.

Corey Lanerie and Audrey's Time finished third for trainer Neil Pessin. Owned by Lothenbach Stables, Audrey's Time is a 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo who shipped in fresh off a win at the Fair Grounds in the $75,000 Joseph “Spanky” Broussard Stakes.

Becca's Rocket completed the superfecta while pacesetter The Mary Rose finished fifth, followed by Velvet Crush and Champagne Affair.

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Pauline’s Pearl Headlines Sunday’s John B. Connally Turf Cup At Sam Houston

The fields are set for the premier day of Thoroughbred racing at Sam Houston Race Park. The Houston Racing Festival will take place on Sunday, Jan. 30 with a special afternoon post time of 1:45 p.m. (CT). The 11-race card includes six stakes, highlighted by the Grade 3, $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic and Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup.

Now in its tenth running, the Houston Ladies Classic, at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, has been a springboard for top older fillies and mares The purse was boosted to $400,000 this year (from $300,000) in its previous editions and Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen will go for his third victory with Stonestreet Stable LLC's homebred Pauline's Pearl. The filly by Tapit out of the Dixie Union mare Hot Dixie Chick, drew post position three with Joel Rosario riding the 6-5 morning line favorite. He and Asmussen have teamed successfully of late; Rosario guided La Crete to victory in Saturday's Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds.

The victory by Pauline's Pearl would vault Asmussen into the record books as the only conditioner to win three editions of the Houston Ladies Classic. He won with Midnight Bisou in 2019, the remarkable champion who went on to capture five Grade 1 stakes, banking $7.4 million and was honored as 2019 Eclipse Award winning older female. He also captured 2020 Houston Ladies Classic with Lady Apple, a 5-year-old daughter of Curlin owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III Ltd.

Pauline's Pearl will be making her 11th career start on Sunday. She made her debut at Fair Grounds last year before shipping to Oaklawn Park for the 2021 Honeybee on March 6. She finished second in that Grade 3 before triumphing in the G3, $600,000 Fantasy. The gray filly completed her 3-year-old campaign with a victory in the Zia Park Oaks on Nov. 23. Asmussen sent the Kentucky-bred filly back to Fair Grounds where she had a series of works in December and January before vanning to Houston last week. On Saturday, Jan. 22, she looked comfortable jogging on a fast main track under exercise rider Eulalio Rivera.

“She's a very nice filly,” said Asmussen. “We have had success with both Midnight Bisou and Lady Apple in this race and look forward to running Pauline's Pearl for Stonestreet Stables.”

The Mary Rose, bred and owned in Arkansas, by Shortleaf Stable, Inc, will ship to Houston from Oaklawn Park on Thursday, according to her trainer John Alexander Ortiz. He has conditioned the 5-year-old Macho Uno mare since last summer, with four on the board placings in five starts. She finished her 2021 season with an impressive seven-length score in a $50,000 allowance at Oaklawn Park on Dec. 31.

“The lightbulb turned on for me in her second race last August at Colonial Downs,” said Ortiz. “She pretty much sprinted. I wanted to see what she did going two turns and she blew the doors off in her last race.”

Jockey Reylu Gutierrez has the call and will break from the far outside post at odds of 3-1. The talented young rider will make his second appearance in the Houston Ladies Classic after riding Jeweled Princess last year for Kenny McPeek.

Shipping from Fair Grounds in New Orleans will be Lothenbach Stable's Inc's Audrey's Time who just won the $75,000 Joseph Spanky Broussard Stakes for trainer Neil Pessin. Corey Lanerie has the return call aboard the 5-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo. Trainer Michael Stidham has entered Velvet Crush, a 5-year-old Tapit mare bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farms and owned by Famousstyle Stables, LLC. Stakes placed at Monmouth Park and Belmont Park, she ran third to Audrey's Time at Fair Grounds last month. Current Sam Houston leading jockey Ry Eikleberry has the call and will break from the rail at odds of 8-1.

Trainer Scott Gelner who competed in last year's edition of the race with Shes Our Fastest for Norman Racing Stables, will saddle Becca's Rocket for the same connections with Adam Beschizza in the irons. The 4-year-old daughter of Orb will be making her 16th career start. Golden Curl, owned by George A. Sharp, will ship in from Turfway Park. The 6-year-old Curlin mare is trained by Shawn H. Davis with Tyler Gafflione flying in from Gulfstream Park to ride. Champagne Affair will make her Sam Houston debut for owners L & G Racing Stable. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Daredevil will be ridden by Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez for trainer Cesar Govea.

The field for the Houston Ladies Classic, will run as the seventh race, with an approximate post time of 4:53 pm (CT). The field, from the rail, with jockeys and morning line odds:

Velvet Crush, Ry Eikleberry (8-1); Audrey's Time, Corey Lanerie (7-2); Pauline's Pearl, Joel Rosario (6-5); Becca's Rocket, Adam Beschizza, (10-1); Champagne Affair, Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez (30-1); Golden Curl, Tyler Gafflione (20-1) and The Mary Rose, Reylu Gutierrez (3-1).

Inaugurated in 2013, the Houston Ladies Classic was awarded its graded status by the American Graded Stakes Committee in 2016. It anchors the annual Houston Racing Festival, which also includes the G3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup, the $200,000 Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile, the $100,000 Pulse Power Turf Sprint, the $75,000 Jersey Lilly Turf Stakes and the $75,000 Stonerside Sprint.

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Super Stock Leads Trio Of Stakes Winners For Asmussen, Irad Ortiz Jr. On Zia Park Derby Card

Trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. made successful excursions to Hobbs, N.M., on Tuesday, teaming up to win three of seven stakes on Zia Park's biggest day of racing including the $250,000 Zia Park Derby with prohibitive favorite Super Stock. They also won the $200,000 Zia Park Oaks with Pauline's Pearl and $50,000 Zia Park Princess Stakes with Optionality.

Second-place finishes by Casual in the $75,000 Zia Park Distaff Stakes and by Tenfold in the Zia Park Championship Handicap kept Asmussen and Ortiz from going a perfect five-for-five on a 10-race card that offered $775,000 in added-money purses.

Only three horses lined up against Super Stock, the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner owned by Asmussen's father, Keith Asmussen, and Erv Woolsey. The Dialed In colt sat just off the lead as Pirate Junction set the pace early, then took command on the far turn and went on to win by 1 1/4 lengths, covering 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.73. Tesoro was up for second with Pirate Junction third and Convention fourth.

The win, worth $150,000 to Super Stock's connections, was the colt's fourth in 14 career starts. He paid $2.10 to win as the 1-20 favorite.

Stonestreet Stables LLC's homebred Pauline's Pearl was the second betting choice at 6-5 in the Oaks, but the gray Tapit filly raced past 9-10 favorite Lady Mystify in the final furlong to win by 1 1/2 lengths under Ortiz. Lady Mystify, from the barn of California-based Peter Eurton and ridden by Flavien Prat, finished second, with Gemstone Gal third in the field of six 3-year-old fillies.

Pauline's Pearl, out of the Dixie Union mare Hot Dixie Chick, was winning for the third time in 10 starts, her most recent victory coming in the G3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn in April. She was clocked in 1:42.71 for 1 1/16 miles, earned $120,000 and paid $4.40 on a $2 win mutuel.

Pauline's Pearl and Irad Ortiz Jr. winning the Zia Park Oaks

Optionality, carrying the maroon and white colors of Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, aired by 6 1/2 lengths under Ortiz as the 11-10 favorite in the Princess, running six furlongs in 1:09.16 and giving leading freshman sire Gun Runner – who had campaigned for Winchell and was trained by Asmussen – his sixth stakes winner of 2021. It was the second win from five starts for Optionality, who broke her maiden last out by 6 3/4 lengths at Indiana Grand on Oct. 26.

B4 Farms LLC's Canoodling was 5 3/4 lengths best over 7-10 favorite Casual in the Distaff for trainer Todd Fincher and jockey Roimes Chirinos. The 3-year-old filly by Pioneerof the Nile ran six furlongs in 1:08.44, winning for the sixth time in 12 career starts.

B4 Farms and Fincher clicked earlier on the card with Bye Bye Bobby winning the Juvenile Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths under Chirinos, defeating 13-10 favorite Aquitania Arrival, a California-based gelding trained by Peter Miller and ridden by Prat. Bye Bye Bobby, a 2-year-old colt by Quality Road out of Revel in the Win, by Red Bullet, was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC and was purchased from the Summerfield consignment for $870,000 as a yearling. Bye Bye Bobby paid $9.80 to win.

Zestful won the Zia Park Championship by a head over the 6-year-old Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred millionaire Tenfold, the even-money favorite. Zestful, trained by Bart Hone and ridden by Prat, races for Stable HMA, which claimed the 6-year-old gelding for $80,000 at Del Mar on Aug. 22. The son of Ghostzapper, coming off a victory in the Bull Dog Stakes at the Fresno fair in California, was winning for the 12th time in 38 starts. He ran 1 1/8 miles in 1.49.35.

Winner's circle presentation for the Zia Park Derby, won by Super Stock

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Lady Mystify Gets First Graded Stakes Win In Remington Park Oaks

Lady Mystify made the trip from California to Oklahoma a winning one with a pace-stalking performance in the Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks at the Oklahoma City, Okla., track.

In her only previous try at graded stakes company, Lady Mystify, trained by Peter Eurton, was fifth in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. in late August. In the G3 Oaks, facing a field that included G3 Fantasy Stakes winner Pauline's Pearl and Cathryn Sophia Stakes winner Lovely Ride, Lady Mystify broke cleanly, jockey Flavien Prat putting her third behind front-runner My Girl Red early in the 1 1/16-mile stakes.

Around the far turn, Prat pulled his filly even with My Girl Red as Ricardo Santana, Jr. moved Pauline's Pearl on the outside of horses to start her bid in the stretch. At the top of the lane, Lady Mystify took over the lead as Pauline's Pearl tried to challenge on her outside. The Eurton trainee was too much for Pauline's Pearl, drawing away to win by three lengths. Amendment Nineteen was third and Bobbin Tail fourth.

The final time for the G3 Remington Park Oaks was 1:44.13. Find this race's chart here.

Lady Mystify paid $14.00, $5.00, and $2.80. Pauline's Pearl paid $2.80 and $2.10. Amendment Nineteen paid $2.10.

Bred in Kentucky by Scott Dilworth and Evan Dilworth, Lady Mystify is by Bernardini out of the Unbridled's Song mare J. Quirk. She is a 3-year-old filly owned by Exline-Border Racing LLC, SAF Racing, and Richard Hausman. Lady Mystify was purchased by Exline-Border Racing from consigner Niall Brennan Stables for $325,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. With her win in the G3 Remington Park Oaks, Lady Mystify has three wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 6-3-1-1 and career earnings of $217,520.

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