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

While most of the attention for the Derby City Distaff was on Lady Sammyantha, as she would receive close to 42% of the selections in the pick ‘em, the horse to beat in the race was arguably Altered State. She came into the race red-hot and was also chosen by many in the pick ‘em, while also being our pick to win. The five-year-old mare would run well right out of the gate, as she typically does, and would grab the win by close to a length. It’s her fifth win in six starts, and the third time that Mb Stables has won the race. R Santana Jr was aboard for his first Derby City Distaff win. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:21.84, which is a middle of the road such time. Here’s a look at it:

(1/4 Mile- :22.27)- Aghast surges out to the race lead from the outside for Mb Stables and running right behind her is her stablemate and eventual winner of the race, Altered State. And these two have put a bit of daylight over the rest of the field, as third place Royalty Stables- trained Sabalenka is three lengths behind them. Absent Friends is next on the rail for TwinTowersRacing, while the legendary Lady Sammyantha is positioned between them for The Sidley Stud. It’s a break of about another three to the trailer, So Beautiful, but the Temulac Farm entry likes to save ground early.

(½ Mile- :45.44, Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- It would be during the backstretch portion where Altered State would take over the top spot from her stablemate, and these two would run together as they hit the top of the turn, still with a three to four length lead over their closest competitor. While moving around the turn, these two would continue to hold their comfortable advantage over the rest of the field, and into the stretch, Altered State was ahead of her stablemate by a length and had to like that Lady Sammyantha was nowhere near her at this point, even though we know that one runs well late. Sabalenka is still third and continuing to be about three lengths from the front. Absent Friends run on the rail, with Lady Sammyantha between them, and none of them have begun to make a run yet. Neither had So Beautiful, who had a lot of work to do in the stretch if she was going to grab the win.

(Finish- 1:21.84)- With a furlong to go, Altered State had put away Aghast, and we still didn’t see Lady Sammyantha making a big push. The one that was coming instead was So Beautiful, and she was charging hard with an opening on the rail. Still, this late into the race, she had too much work to do, it would appear. In the end, it would be Altered State, getting the win by close to a length. So Beautiful’s run seemed calculated to get everyone other than Altered State, and that’s how it would play out, as she gets the place photo over Sabalenka. Lady Sammyantha never fired today, though will beat Absent Friends and Aghast.

About The Winner- Altered State, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by R Santana Jr, is a five-year-old mare by Smokin Luka and is out of Shes Irrational. She bred in Ontario by Mb Stables as a third quarter two-year-old, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her twelfth in 23 starts, her fifth stake win and fourth graded win. Her career earnings are now $1,727.72.

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES