The Heavenly Prize ($150.000 Purse)
AQU- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
February 22, 2025

At $150.000, the purse for the Heavenly Prize could be more heavenly, but it is still a nice offering for this ungraded stake that runs for the seventh time. It would debut in 2017, but has not been run every year, and for a little while, it seemed like it might be in jeopardy of not filling this year as well. Ultimately, we would get a field of six for this race, and it’s a pretty solid field, overall. Last year, there would be just five in the race, and it would be won by Groovy, for Calia Stable. The mare is still active and won a graded race as recently as November, but for TwinTowersRacing. Here’s a look at the field!

1- Ruthian (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J R Martinez)- Extended her second place streak last time out in the $150.000 Ladies Handicap right here last month, making it three runner ups in a row. Those are all in stakes, and she is still searching for that first stake win despite being so close. So, the big question is, will this be the day? She’s not the highest earner in here, but seems to be on the best form at the stake level right now, even if those three races were not wins. I think that will add up to her doing one better and getting that win.

2- Jersey Delight (Angelos Stable, ridden by J A Gomez)- Picked up in a claimer for $25.000 two back, and made her debut for Angelos Stable in a starter allowance at FG where she finished second. This will be her first stake race, and her last public work might be more telling than the recent race results in showing that she deserves this opportunity. Overall, she is three for eight and could be on the verge of the breakout.

3- Eye Patch (The Sidley Stud, ridden by S Vives)- Joined this stable back in September, as the trainer picked her up for $22.000 in that auction. Since then, she has raced twice, hitting the board twice in a pair of ungraded stakes, including the $125.000 Likely Exchange Stakes on two weeks rest out at TP. It seems like she responded real well to an add change made by the trainer, and if that is helping her get more consistency, than she is very appealing. Didn’t overlook her when saying Ruthian is on the best form here at the stake level: Ruthian is on a three race streak of in the money stake finishes, and Eye Patch is on a two race streak!

4- Gerri G (Luz International, ridden by S Civaci)- After two subpar outings in graded races, Gerri G was put on the shelf for four months and would reappear last month in an optional claimer at HOU that she won. Her SRF there was in line with the graded races she was in, and overall those figures are extremely consistent throughout her career, so I would expect a similar effort out of her. She’s a 30-race veteran with plenty of stake experience mixed in.

5- Atomic Woman (Williams9, ridden by G Kocakaya)- A fixture at the stake level, with the majority of her experience coming with Arindel. Ultimately, she would arrive in the WIlliams9 barn in July, and after a slow start with him, has gotten it together over her last four races. Two of them saw her hit the board in stakes, and the other two were victories in overnights. When going long, she is just 2-for-13, so if you want to know why I am not picking her to win here, there’s the reason!

6- Chai Lies (Keith Austin Inc., ridden by K J Coa)- Last time out, the trainer did not put her on lasix and gave her blinkers. Chai Lies went on to lose by 14 lengths, so hopefully the blinkers were burnt right away. Her adds are back the way they were before that race, and while she is still very much a longshot in this field, we are still going to see her at her best. Her most recent work did not impress.

Prediction: 1-3-5-4

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded