Derby City Distaff (Grade 1)- $1,000.00 Purse
CD- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
May 2, 2026

Over its long history, the Derby City Distaff, or formerly known as the Humana Distaff, has seen many great horses of the game take home its trophy. That would certainly be the case last year when Lady Sammyantha went wire to wire to win by about a length. Now, the eight-year-old mare enters the race the same way that she did last year, fresh off a win in the Grade 1 Vinery Madison at KEE as she looks to go back-to-back in this race. It’s happened before, and as a matter of fact the great Blonde Dynamite won the race three years in a row between 2007 and 2009. Sharing the starting gate with her will be five others, including the ones that ran second and third to her in the Vinery Madison and look to get a little payback here. This will be the third year that the purse is at $1,000.00, and we should be expecting a great race. Here’s a look at all of them that will be taking part:

1- Absent Friends (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Over her career, Absent Friends has been inconsistent, winning twice in 14 starts, and she has never won a race that had more than a $17.00 purse. She’s had a few solid second place efforts, and the trainer can be motivated by the fact that one of them was here at seven furlongs in the Grade 3 Dogwood last fall. That is, however, the silver lining in her graded performances, which have otherwise been subpar. She was a distant seventh in both the Grade 1 Beholder and the Grade 1 La Brea and the trainer will have to figure something out quickly for her to pull off an upset here.

2- Lady Sammyantha (The Sidley Stud, ridden by J R Velazquez)- In her last start, Lady Sammyantha became that Blonde Dynamite of the Vinery Madison, winning the race for the third consecutive year. She came here in 2024 as well, but it would not be her best effort. Interestingly, it would be following that 2024 appearance where she would then run off a winning streak of seven that included the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, as well as the 2025 version of this race. Since that victory, she’s won two of seven, which according to her standards, isn’t quite as good, but that’s just because the bar has been set so high. When she won this year’s Vinery Madison, the eight-year-old mare showed she still has plenty left in the tank, and can certainly win this, which is her 56th career start. Others are certainly gunning for her, though.

3- So Beautiful (Temulac Farm, ridden by F Prat)- Won three races in a row late last year, highlighted by the Grade 3 Bessarabian Stakes at WO. A week later, she would be sold to Temulac Farm for $125.00, and she has not been able to find the winner’s circle since. Ran third on debut in her new silks at the Grade 1 La Brea, so certainly it was a beautiful beginning, but she’s been mediocre, at best, in the two races that followed. Yes, she did cash a fourth-place check in the $125.00 Queen Stakes, but she was also beaten by three, which in our virtual world, is a sound beating. I believe she can bounce back, and this is a great spot to do that.

4- Sabalenka (Royalty Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- While the main focus of Royalty Stables will be on Hurts, who is my pick to win the KYD, the trainer will be looking to experience plenty of success on the undercard. While Hurts will not be a pick that is considered going on a limb, Sabalenka in the Derby City Distaff would be. The five-year-old mare has had a steady career, which has mostly been in overnights. Her best effort to this point is not one of her four wins, but actually when she ran second in the Grade 2 Inside Information, running better than Lady Sammyantha, but not beating her stablemate, Reflex Action. Sluggish last time out at over a mile at KEE, but maybe we can throw that out. Has to be at her best, but she may very well be.

5- Altered State (Mb Stables, ridden by R Santana Jr)- Last time out, Altered State looked to go wire to wire in the Grade 1 Vinery Madison, and if you have been reading this preview, you know by now who ended up winning. Altered State settled for second in the race, being beaten by a length. Had she won, it would have been her fifth in a row, and the fourth straight time that it was done in wire-to-wire fashion. She did knock off Lady Sammyantha right before that in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie, and will look to do the same at a track that’s been kind to her. Altered State is 2-for-2 at CD, winning the Eight Belles and Dogwood back in 2024, which are also seven-furlong races.

6- Aghast (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- While Aghast wants to win the Derby City Distaff, she also wants to get some bragging rights in-house over Altered State. These two have gone up against one another in each of their last two starts, with Aghast running third in the Vinery Madison, and beaten by .02 by Altered State, and then fourth in the Hurricane Bertie, and again beaten by the same .02. However, her main comeback to her stablemate now is that she, and not Altered State, was a BC runner last fall, and she was fourth in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. Very consistent, and it’s just a matter of time before it’s her having the .02 edge, right?

Prediction: 6-2-5-4

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES