Fleur De Lis Handicap – Grade II
CD Race #9 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $500.000 For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward.

1 Cackle Street The Sidley Stud Husbands P 119 —

A regular in the graded stakes scene, she won this race last year carrying 121Lbs and remarkably she gets 2Lb less this year. Purely on that fact alone she must be a good chance 12 months on as she showed enough in the Bella Mahone last time to suggest she is in pretty similar form as she was. She made all from a wide gate last year but won’t get the speed push this year so may need some help from the gaming buttons to follow a similar path.

2 Scarlett Dream Williams9 Velazquez J R 120 —

Bought for $712.000 from the Arindel fire sale, she gets thrown in here in her first attempt to make some of that money back. Many of the Arindel horses hadn’t worked for a while so it is a surprise to see her here after just the two quick works and she may be needing this run as she is 22Lbs heavier than she was when she ran last time in the Beholder. She is a good filly and she’s well drawn, so I am not saying no but all the commonsense stuff suggests she will need this run and will be better next time.

3 Ignore Tucker Fractious Franco M 121 —

Top weight and she probably deserves it as she finally showed what she can do last time when she took out the Santa Margarita but she remains a bit of an enigma and you cannot be sure she will repeat that sort of run today. At her best, and I seem to say that every time I write about her, she wins with top weight.

4 Starving Artist Wood Duck Stables Lopez P 118 —

Turned herself into a deep closer from the wide gate last time and flew home for an eye catching fourth in the Apple Blossom Handicap beaten less than a length. That was a huge effort from an impossible position, and she had next up written all over her. This trip will suit her but she can be a bit in and out so it is hard to be sure how she will run today but if you liked that last run get to the window early.

5 La Roo Our Athletes Gaffalione T 118 —

Finished alongside Cackle Street in the Bella Malone last time just getting the verdict over that mare. Another solid type who gets in here with a very race-able weight my only problem with her is where she maps from this middle gate.

6 Pink Attack The Sidley Stud Alvarado F T 120 —

The winner of 13 races she was fourth in the Distaff last year proving she is a quality mare not far off the best in her division. She won the Top Flight Handicap under a bigger weight so the impost shouldn’t be a problem, but she only gets a pound for a length beating by Ignore Tucker last time which may not be enough.

7 Hallucination Smokey Stover Centeno D E 119 —

Did well in the La Brea at the end of last year but looked like she needed a bit further than seven furlongs. Back up in trip this year she has won her last two pretty impressively and looks to be flying under the radar a little here against opposition with more credentials. I like her works and I like the fact that she is largely untested, could be the answer in a tricky race.

8 Karloffs Monster TwinTowersRacing Bridgmohan S X 118 —

The BC Distaff winner of 2022 she hasn’t won a race since the HOU Ladies Classic early in 2023 but has run well enough to suggest she can be a factor in a race like this. She may just need some moisture to be at her very best and if it rains, she may be at rewarding odds.

9 Grande Sunset Mb Stables Moore R L 118 —

18 races, all of them on turf and now at the age of five she has her first ever race on dirt in a handicap. It’s a hack that has been used successfully many times here at HRP, but this mare has to contend with a wide gate as well. Just because of the circumstances she would be my choice.

Footnote: It has come to my attention that Grande Sunset had raced on dirt quite extensively, I read the wrong stat and therefore reported her form incorrectly. The hack that I mentioned in this piece was the fact that in handicaps a good horse can secure a low weight by entering on a surface or over a trip that it hasn’t run over before.

SUMMARY

A tight looking race to handicap but being a handicap its more about the hacks than the form. For that reason, I am taking Grande Sunset to win with Cackle Street and Hallucination fighting it out for second.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES