Tag: Racing

Defending Lady Apple To Face Six Rivals In Houston Ladies Classic

The fields are set, and the excitement is building at Sam Houston Race Park for its most prestigious event of the 2021 Thoroughbred racing season. The Houston Racing Festival will take place on Sunday, Jan. 31 with a special afternoon post time of 1:45 pm (CT). The ten-race card includes six stakes, highlighted by the Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic.

Now in its ninth running, the Houston Ladies Classic, at a mile and one-sixteenth on the main track, has been a springboard for top older fillies and mares, and once again attracted a highly competitive field.

Defending champion Lady Apple is a 5-year-old daughter of Curlin out of the Clever Trick mare Miss Mary Apples owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III and KatieRich Farms. Trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, the Kentucky-bred mare has won six of her 18 starts with earnings of $1,045,984. One year ago, she closed gamely to defeating a contentious field which included 2019 Kentucky Oaks champion Serengeti Empress and Street Band. Following her victory, Asmussen shipped her to Oaklawn Park where she competed in both the G2 Azeri and G1 Apple Blossom. Her third place finish in last month's Spanky Broussard at Fair Grounds served as a solid prep for her return to Sam Houston Race Park, where she will break from post position four under veteran rider Stewart Elliott at odds of 4-1.

“She needed that race, and I had no problem with the result,” said Asmussen. “Lady Apple is a quality filly who loves the track surface at Sam Houston and is training really well.”

Letruska, bred and owned by St. George Stable, LLC, has been installed as the even-money favorite. The 5-year-old mare by Super Saver out of the Successful Appeal mare Magic Appeal has won 11 of her 15 career efforts including the G3 Shuvee last August at Saratoga. She exits a victory last month in the Grade 3, $100,000 Rampart at Gulfstream Park and when her trainer Fausto Gutierrez began planning her 5-year-old campaign, he felt that the Houston Ladies Classic would be an ideal beginning.

“She's a filly with a great deal of speed,” explained Gutierrez. “We removed the blinkers and felt that she finished much better. I ran at Sam Houston twenty years ago and know it has an excellent track surface. They have always attracted quality fields for the Ladies Classic and I feel that this will be a perfect start for her year. Our plan is to head to Oaklawn Park and point to the (Grade 1) Apple Blossom.”

Letruska was flown from South Florida to New Orleans and vanned from Fair Grounds to Sam Houston Race Park early Sunday morning. Jockey Jesus Castanon has the call aboard the bay mare and will break from post position seven.

Asmussen will also saddle Motion Emotion for owners MyRacehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm LLC. The 5-year-old mare sired by Take Charge Indy has topped the half-million dollar mark in her 16 career starts and will be ridden by Miguel Mena at odds of 7-2. Sunday's race will be her first start since running fourth in the G1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga. She has been stabled at Asmussen's Sam Houston barn all month, with a solid work tab, including two bullet drills on Jan. 16 and 23.

“She's been training like a steam engine,” declared Asmussen. “We are fortunate that Spendthrift bought her at the Night of the Stars Sale (on Nov. 8) and look forward to running her in the Ladies Classic.”

A victory by Motion Emotion or Lady Apple would vault Asmussen into the record books as the only conditioner to win three editions of the Houston Ladies Classic. Asmussen, who is nominated for Eclipse Award winning trainer honors along with Brad Cox and Bob Baffert, won with Midnight Bisou in 2019. The remarkable champion went on to capture five Grade 1 stakes, banking $7.4 million and was honored as 2019 Eclipse Award winning Older Female. Larry Jones is the only other trainer to win two Ladies Classic titles.

Jeweled Princess is on target to ship to Houston and represent owners Walking L Thoroughbreds of The Woodlands, Texas. Trained by Kenny McPeek, the 4-year-filly by Cairo Prince, earned her fourth career win on Dec. 18 at Remington Park when she captured the $75,000 She's All In Stakes. Jockey Reylu Gutierrez has the call at odds of 8-1. He joined the Sam Houston jockey colony this year and is off to an excellent start, ranked second behind veteran Stewart Elliott. McPeek won the 2004 Great State Challenge Distaff at Sam Houston Race Park with Take Charge Lady as well as victories in the Maxxam Gold Cup with Unstoppable U in 2013 and Blueridge Traveler in 2018.

Trainer Michael Maker has entered Ujayji, a 5-year-old mare by Smarty Jones for her breeder and owner T. L. Wise. The Pennsylvania-bred mare exits a third-place finish in the $100,000 Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct on Jan. 17. She brings a record of four wins, four seconds and four thirds from 19 starts with earnings of $293,090. She drew post position three under rider Rafael Manuel Hernandez at odds of 6-1.

Trainer Tom Amoss, who ran second in last year's edition of the race with Serengeti Empress, will send in Figure It Out, a 5-year-old Paynter mare owned by Joel Politi. She began her year with an impressive allowance score at Fair Grounds on Jan. 1 prior to running sixth in the $150,000 Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday. He has given the call to Houston-based rider Lane Luzzi, who is currently tied for third in the standings. This will be the third time Amoss has shipped in for the Houston Ladies Classic. He ran fifth in the 2015 edition of the race with Kiss to Remember.

Trainer Scott Gelner will saddle Norman Racing Stables, LLC's Shes Our Fastest who drew post position six and will be ridden by Ry Eikleberry. The Texas-bred daughter of Oratory has won five stakes in Texas and Louisiana, including the 2019 Texas Rose Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park. The 6-year-old mare has earned $344,537 in her 29 lifetime starts.

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 Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup, the $200,000 Texas Turf, the $100,000 Pulse Power Turf Sprint, the $75,000 Jersey Lilly Turf Stakes and the $75,000 Stonerside Sprint.

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Gregorian Chant Sings New Tune Sprinting To Clockers’ Corner Triumph

Well beaten in a Grade 2 stakes going a mile and one half on turf Nov. 27, trainer Phil D'Amato's English-bred Gregorian Chant shortened up in distance and rallied from last to first in Sunday's $70,000 Clockers' Corner Stakes at Santa Anita, winning by 2 ¼ lengths.  Ridden by the meet's leading rider Juan Hernandez, Gregorian Chant got six furlongs out of the Arcadia, Calif., track's turf chute in 1:08.42 over a course listed as firm.

Entered in his first sprint since breaking his maiden at first asking going seven furlongs on a synthetic surface in Ireland on December 7, 2018, Gregorian Chant was ridden confidently by Hernandez, despite the fact he was trying an entirely different game today.

Last, about seven lengths off the lead heading into the far turn, Gregorian Chant was into the bridle as Hernandez angled out while trying to exploit a fast early pace set by Mr Vargas and Thanks Mr. Eidson.  Six-wide turning for home, Gregorian Chant gained the advantage a sixteenth of a mile from home and won going away.

“Phil told me don't change his style,” said Hernandez, who had won aboard Gregorian Chant in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance three starts back at Del Mar on Aug. 29.  “It looked like there was plenty of speed and there was.  The race set up good for us.  Turning for home, I had a lot of horse and he just exploded.  He passed those other horses pretty easy.”

Eleventh, beaten 15 ¾ lengths in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup Nov. 27, Gregorian Chant was off at 10-1 and paid $23.00, $8.20 and $4.60.

“I gotta give Nick Cosato (Slam Dunk Racing) a lot of credit,” said D'Amato.  “He thought of this after his last race.  Just remembering what a big turn of foot he had from when we bought him, we thought it was worth a try.  Juan fits this horse really well.  Actually his brother, Jonathan, gallops him in the morning, so it's kind of a little family affair there.  Juan has a special touch there with him and gets everything out of him.”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC and Michael Nentwig, Gregorian Chant, a 5-year-old gelding, picked up his first stakes win and improved his overall mark to 13-4-0-2.  Purchased privately following his maiden win in Ireland, Gregorian Chant picked up $43,920 for the win, increasing his earnings to $165,013.

Although passed by his stablemate at the top of the lane, Strike Me Down, who was five-deep at the time, kept to his task and overhauled Thanks Mr. Eidson by a head for second, giving D'Amato a one-two finish.  Off as the 2-1 favorite with Umberto Rispoli, Strike Me Down paid $4.80 and $3.00.

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Thanks Mr. Eidson, who tracked Mr Vargas to the quarter pole, stayed on gamely and paid $3.60 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.76, 44.65 and 56.63.

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The Grass Is Blue Earns Kentucky Oaks Points With Busanda Victory

There were some anxious moments throughout the running of Sunday's $100,000 Busanda for The Grass Is Blue, but the daughter of Broken Vow proved superior in the nine-furlong event for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Owned by Louis Lazzinnaro and trained by Chad Brown, The Grass Is Blue received a well-timed ride by jockey Manny Franco, who piloted the filly to a one-length triumph in her second start around two turns and first with blinkers.

The Grass Is Blue garnered ten points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks when taking the Busanda – a 10-4-2-1 qualifier for the prestigious event. The Grass Is Blue arrived at the Busanda off a close third as the favorite in Laurel Park's Anne Arundel County on December 26.

Breaking from the outside post in the five-horse field, Franco angled The Grass Is Blue to the inside approaching the first turn while Traffic Lane assumed command with fellow Todd Pletcher-trained Repole Stable color bearer Coffee Bar close behind in second through an opening quarter-mile in 24.44 seconds. Franco had a tight hold on The Grass Is Blue, who was rank as the field approached the backstretch.

With the half in 49.73, Traffic Lane was maintained command as The Grass Is Blue was still in search of racing room along the fence with Wonderwall and Diamond Ore inching closer to the front.

As Coffee Bar inched her way to even terms with her stable mate at the top of the stretch, Franco weaved The Grass Is Blue two paths to the outside and in the clear and gave the filly her cue at the three-sixteenths. Coffee Bar proved to be a tough customer and battled gamely to the inside, but the 8-5 favorite proved best, completing the 1 1/8 miles in a final time of 1:54.90 on the fast main track.

The New York-bred Coffee Bar, a Repole Stable homebred, finished another five lengths ahead of Diamond Ore, who rounded out the trifecta. Traffic Lane and Wonderwall completed the order of finish.

Franco expressed confidence in his filly and said the equipment change made a big difference.

“I knew I had a lot of horse under me the whole way around,” said Franco, who piloted Always Shopping to a win in the 2019 Busanda.“The blinkers helped a lot. I was just waiting for the right moment to make my move and at the quarter pole, she just accelerated. With the blinkers first time, I knew she was going to take me there. I just wanted to give her a breather at some point during the race and that's why I stayed inside. When the time came, I tipped out and she just accelerated. She got the distance really well.”

Lazzinnaro was full of praise for Franco for a confident and patient ride aboard his filly.

“I think Manny gave the horse a perfect trip,” Lazzinnaro said. “It looked like she liked the track a lot so we'll probably keep her here during the winter and let Chad figure out what to do and how to go about winning another race with her. Chad took his time with her and got her going good. The distance was good for her today.”

The Grass Is Blue returned $5.20 as the favorite and banked $55,000 in victory pushing her lifetime earnings past the six-figure mark to $121,978 through a career of 5-3-0-1.

Bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership, The Grass Is Blue is out of the Aldebaran mare Shine Softly, whose mother Soaring Softly won the 1999 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and was named Champion Turf Mare that same year.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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