Red Carpet Stakes GIII
$100.000 Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward
1 3/8 Miles Turf
Del Mar November 23, 2025

Wow! Happy Dancer exploded to destroy the Red Carpet field and I should have seen it coming. She had been on a streak of great efforts in graded stakes races and had won the most money in 2025 of anyone in the field. She took it to another level in this one and announced herself as a force to be reckoned with in the female turf division next year as she matures into a four-year-old. 

Winner: Happy Dancer (Nakamura Stables/A. Fresu) Prince Cherokee/Kailua Danzer (Kailua) Settled close to the pace of her Boiling Springs fellow three-year-old rival Risky Valuation and turned the tables on that one in dramatic fashion. When her jockey decided it was time to let her go, she moved strongly to the front and never looked back, opening up through the stretch to a powerhouse four length win. This was her second graded stakes win this season and pushed her 2025 earnings over $500.000.

Second: Risky Valuation (Spb Racing/J.J. Hernandez) Moment In Time/Bridge Ballet (Crossing The Rubicon) Had bested Happy Dancer in their Boiling Springs matchup at a shorter distance in June but was no match for her at the Red Carpet distance. Despite not being able to challenge the winner she was best of the rest after being able to open up a clear and unchallenged early lead. 

Third: Wild Cats (Mo Mentum Farm/L. Dettori) Breath Of The Wild/Cats Landing (Mr Creepy) Veteran top class mare sat further back than her most successful races and rallied for third but never approached the winner and just couldn’t quite get to the runner up. Solid race from a Smokey bred who has now passed the elusive $1,000.000 earnings mark.

Happy Dancer announced herself here and provided Nakamura Stables and A. Fresu their first wins in this graded event. Will be interesting to see where she goes from here and how she develops as a four-year-old. 

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES