The Derby City Distaff (Grade 1)- $1,000.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
May 3, 2025

Lady Sammyantha continued her amazing run in The Derby City Distaff on Saturday, winning for the seven consecutive time and for the nineteenth time in her career. The last time that she lost a race was the 2024 version of the race, so now she gets redemption for that. The rain that left the track sloppy was not a concern for her, as she has handled wet tracks well throughout her career and would again here. She is proudly trained by The Sidley Stud, who is enjoying life with this seven-year-old mare. It’s his first time winning the Derby City Distaff, and that’s also true for jockey P Lopez. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:25.62, the quickest of the editions of the race run on a sloppy track. Let’s take a look at it now:

(1/4 Mile- :23.00)- Lille and Racing Tipster, trained respectively by Mo Mentum Farm and Williams9 break well out of the gate and look like they will be the early two leaders. However, our eventual winner from The Sidley Stud, Lady Sammyantha has other ideas after she surges to the front after the first furlong, and by the time they reach this point, she is a full length out in front. Yeah Noha, from D J C Racing Stables, would push forward a bit as well and make it a three-way battle for second with Lille and Racing Tipster. There’s a break of nearly two lengths to Nazca Lines (Delta Farms), and another to Lady Lara (Night Mare Racing). Behind her are last year’s winner of the race, Smokin Cara (Alydar Stables), Untidy (Mb Stables), and Shining At Knight (Our Athletes).

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Lady Sammyantha gracefully heads down the backstretch and moves around the turn without anyone challenging her. In fact, she’s put a little more distance between the three that had been behind her. Once they hit the top of the stretch, Lille is the only horse that can hold serve with her but still trails by a length and a half. Racing Tipster weakened over the turn, and Yeah Noha had enough for the day. Nazca Lines held her ground, but this still meant she had a lot of distance to make up on the leader. Untidy was gearing up to make a move on the outside. We had not seen much out of Smokin Cara and Shining At Knight, as they were well behind the leader. The other lady, Lady Lara, fell to the back.

(Finish- 1:25.62)- Put it in the books! It’s all Lady Sammyantha all the way to the finish, as she maintains her steady stride and goes on to win by about a length without much concern. Lille ran as consistently in second in much the same way that Lady Sammyantha did on the lead and would comfortably complete the exacta. If you wanted action and passing in the stretch, that would be for the third spot as Untidy came on late to get that. In fact, Untidy actually did get very close to Lille and they needed a photo there, but to me that margin is deceptive as Lille didn’t really seem that threatened from my perspective. Shining At Knight advanced to fourth, with Smokin Cara fifth. Nazca Lines is the best of the rest, topping Racing Tipster, Lady Lara, and Yeah Noha.

About The Winner- Lady Sammyantha, trained by The Sidley Stud and ridden to victory by P Lopez, is a seven-year-old mare by Ginger Haggis and is out of Madame Broulard. She was bred as a yearling in Ontario by The Sidley Stud, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her nineteenth in 48 starts, her 17th stake win and 15th graded win. Her career earnings are now $4,810.640.

Track: Sloppy
Time: :23  :47  1:12²  1:25³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 10 – 3 Paid 90.50
$1 Trifecta: 10 – 3 – 9 Paid 1,518.90

Scratched: Ifyerwokeyerajoke

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES