January 26, 2016
Although it is not a Graded Stakes as of yet, the HOU Ladies Classic is well on its way to becoming one of the key races for the older fillies and mares before things really heat up and on Saturday evening, another stellar field has been assembled led by a pair of champions in Lullaby Maker Tf and Sinissippi Delite. When you add triple Grade I winner A Class Angie into the mix, you get a trio of mares with almost $8000.000 in earnings combined and for a race that only has two editions under its belt, you have to know it is going in the right direction.
1-Baja Burrito (Five-year-old bay mare / Owner-Buddhabase)
Baja Burrito capped off a very nice four-year-old season with a win in the Grade II Falls City Handicap at CD but she was in receipt of weight to the top two choices and now, has to carry equal weights as the best of her division and that will put her up against things. She certainly loves to go a route of ground and seems to be improving with each and every start so this could be a big year for her and if she can knock off the favourites, she could be a force as the year progresses.
Analysis-Impressive to end 2015 and could get 2016 off to a big start
Fair Odds-5/1
2-Charming Face (Four-year-old bay filly / Owner-Mb Stables)
In seven starts, Charming Face was never more than two-lengths from victory throughout all of 2015 and if you take out that tough finish in the Cotillion, you have a filly who was decent at three but could be blossoming at the age of four. There was certainly a lot of things to like in her last allowance race at AQU and she comes from the three-time defending Trainer Of The Year, so you have to respect her chances despite the fact that she has never really excelled at this level in the past.
Analysis-Takes a big jump but could surprise at a price
Fair Odds-15/1
3-Sinissippi Delite (Five-year-old bay mare / Owner-Axeman)
When you win a Grade I and a Grade II, and earn nearly $500.000, and still consider your season a disappointment, you know there is extreme talent there and for Sinissippi Delite, this might be the comeback season that owner Axeman has been waiting for all along. Purchased for a massive $950.000, the five-year-old is a champion and has all the class in the world but needs to show more than she did in her last start at AQU, where she faltered late after leading, if she hopes to regain the form that made her a BC Distaff winner.
Analysis-Removes blinkers and that could make a huge impact
Fair Odds-4/1
4-Wildstile (Four-year-old gray filly / Owner-Sanny Village)
Wildstile went without a victory in 2015 and was only competitive in a handful of races so her presence here is a bit of a surprise and she will have to be considered one of the longer shots to hit the board against this stellar field. She does not possess the speed ratings to handle the best of this field and on paper, her closing ability to lacking compared to others; all in all, despite a top barn in her corner, she will be hard pressed to make a dent off a huge layoff and even workouts.
Analysis-Not at the same level at many in this field
Fair Odds-15/1
5-A Class Angie (Five-year-old bay mare / Owner-Night Rider Stables)
A Grade I winner at three and a duel winner at four, A Class Angie is certainly a class act and will try to continue into her five-year-old season with a big start against open company, unlike last year where she opened her season against state-bred rivals. Unfortunately, she has faced the likely favourite in her last three starts and lost all of them so the chances of reversing the tide are daunting, with the only saving grace the fact that now, they will carry equal weights since they are both older fillies and mares.
Analysis-Excellent mare faces a suitably excellent filly
Fair Odds-3/1
6-Lullaby Maker Tf (Four-year-old black filly / Owner-Team 7 Illusions)
You have to go all the way back to 2011 to find a Three-Year-Old Filly Champion who won her four-year-old debut and while Lullaby Maker Tf has done nothing to discredit her role as favourite, one has to take last season in and of itself and look towards 2016 as a year to build on her amazing sophomore campaign. She seems to do enough to win her races but now gets on equal footing with fillies and mares who are seasoned at this level; brilliant workouts coupled with a three-month layoff balance each other out and that still makes her the favourite on paper, and rightly so at this stage.
Analysis-She is the champ until beaten
Fair Odds-9/5
Overall
Lullaby Maker Tf is the true and deserving champion from 2015 and as such, is the true and deserving favourite in the HOU Ladies Classic from the outside stall, in a small but extremely talented field of six. A Class Angie is a true star with multiple Grade I wins on her resume while Sinissippi Delite is also a champion and former BC Distaff winner; both have the class and style to win this 1 1/16 mile event and on paper, should provide formidable opposition in what could be a defining race this season.
Prediction
Win-Lullaby Maker Tf (9/5)
Place-A Class Angie (3/1)
Show-Sinissippi Delite (4/1)
Triple T Racing 🙂
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
