The Bayakoa (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
OP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 7, 2026

Six horses will be heading to the starting gate at OP for the 11th running of the Grade 3 Bayakoa, which sends older females a little more than a mile on the main track, and it will be highlighted by the scheduled 2026 debut of three-year-old female Horse of the Year, Credit Crime. The $250.000 purse has been in place since 2021 and does represent a high mark for the stake. The Bayakoa has seen some very successful winners in the past, such as Sinissippi Delite and The Reaper early on, as well as Z Command, and Matamata twice. Last year, it was Untidy scoring the victory for Mb Stables. She went on to have a strong year that saw a start in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint and was retired after that race. With Credit Crime in this field, all eyes will certainly be on her, but there are five others here that want to crash that party. Let’s meet the field:

1- Alacena (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- A very consistent five-year-old mare that has cashed some portion of the purse in every race since October 2023. That includes her entire tenure with D J C Racing Stables, who claimed her in June 2024. She was not always running at the high levels and was strictly an allowance or optional claimer horse for most of her career. Made her stake debut two back at PRX, for the $75.000 Cornucopia Stakes and ran third. Won a TAM allowance last time out in a dead heat (more on that a few horses down) and will now look to make her graded debut.

2- Credit Crime (Aer Stables, ridden by E Esquivel)- Greatness enters the gate in post two, as the recently named three-year-old female horse of the year will make her debut as an older horse. What a year it was for Aer Stables and this filly, as she went on to win six out of eight races on the year, with all of them being graded stakes. The KYO win was the highlight of the year, but it was not all she did, as she would also win the Grade 1 CCA Oaks, then impressively moved to the turf with little trouble, winning the Grade 3, $2,000.000 DG Oaks at KD. Only finished in the middle of the field for the BC Distaff but bounced back well last month when she went back to grass again for the Grade 1 American Oaks. I see no reason to doubt her, and remember the introduction here, as this is a race usually won by strongly accomplished big names.

3- Old Mexico (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by Ru Silvera)- We saw her here at OP last spring for the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap, where she picked up the biggest win of her career. She had picked up other nice wins before that, but nothing of that level, so she seemed to be on the upswing. Ran a good one with a tough luck finish right after for the Grade 1 Phipps up at SAR but suddenly became very inconsistent after that one. Sure, she was second in the Beldame at AQU, but other finishes surrounding that were poor, including in the BC Distaff. Debuted this year out west for the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes, and was third, but when a horse in an inconsistent stretch, how excited do you want to be after that? Maybe running here will bring back good memories.

4- Go For Glory (Mb Stables, ridden by L Dettori)- A four-year-old filly that has been patiently brought along by Mb Stables, having made only six starts. Debuted in February of last year, and once that was out of the way, she has rolled off a four wins in five races stretch. The wins all came at high or mid-level tracks, in overnights. In between, there is one stake appearance, and it did not go well, as she was dead last in the $250.000 Empire Distaff, for NY-Breds, in October. Works exceptionally well, and based on those, she’s very capable of winning. But can she bring down the likes of Credit Crime, here?

5- Shes A Looker (Nakamura Stables, ridden by P Husbands)- She was certainly a looker around this time last year, running very well in preps for the KYO. This included a win in the $300.000 Bourbonette Oaks, sending her to the big race. However, she would not be anywhere near Credit Crime at the finish, running close to the back. Was starting to show some signs of rebounding from that, but then another dud in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes relegated her to the allowance ranks. Her last two races are open allowance wins but came at TAM and TUP. Interestingly, that TAM allowance win was in a dead heat. With whom, you ask? Alacena!

6- Libertie (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by A Cedillo)- One thing you can say about Libertie with certainty, is that she is consistent. After all, in six of her last seven races, which are all her races with Mo Mentum Farm, she has earned an SRF of exactly 92. That’s probably not going to get it done here, so we’ll see if she can pick that up a little bit. Her lone graded race came back in September in the Grade 3 DEL Handicap, where her 92 saw her miss by five lengths and not beat anyone.

Prediction: 2-3-4-5

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES