Mamzelle (Grade 3)- $225.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies Three Years Old
Five and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
May 10, 2025

Taking place on Saturday is a first time graded stake: the $225.000 Mamzelle at CD. This race debuted on our calendar in 2004, but had a lengthy hiatus between 2008 and 2019. Until now, it’s always been ungraded, but now this turf sprint for three year old fillies is officially a Grade 3. The $225.000 purse level as been in place since 2023. Last year’s race drew a field of seven, and was won by Sister Nancy, for D J C Racing Stables. She is still actively racing in that barn, and you may remember her running here on KYO day when she ran third in the Grade 3 Sidney. We’ll have eight horses hoping to follow that lead, let’s meet them now!

1- Piatt (Royalty Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- Won three times in four starts last year, and seems to have done everything but win in her four races as a three year old. She’s been second three times, and in two of those races: the $175.000 CA Cup Oaks and the $100.000 Sweet Life, each at SA, she got her picture taken with the winner. Ran for $300.000 last month in the Limestone Turf Sprint and was again, second. She’s knocking on the door, for sure, and perhaps this time, she can end up in the winner’s circle.

2- Just Average (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Just two weeks ago, I wrote about her impressive wire to wire win in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes. She made it look easy there, so why not send her right back out there. A similar effort could it get it done here, but this is a stronger field that she sees here. Looking forward to the showdown between her and Shine To Class, with the winner probably asserting themselves as the top horse in this division.

3- Categorical Decision (Asgar, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- If she runs her race, and shows the version of herself that won the $100.000 Sweet Life Stakes in February, she’ll have a chance, but can we have confidence that she will do that. Her two races since then have been disappointments, and while we can throw out the FL Oaks, that performance in the Limestone Turf Sprint is a concern. Wish there was a more recent work on the turf.

4- Bullet Dash (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by N Juarez)- Started her career in maiden claimers, and the trainer is grateful he never lost her. In February, she took a big step forward, winning an allowance at FG, but still may need to show a little more. Ran fourth, or last, depending on which way you want to look at it, in the Melody Of Colors, and all three that beat her are in this race as well. Only lost by a length there, however. Last time, was fourth in a bigger field at SA for an optional claimer. Capable, but I am looking elsewhere.

5- Shine To Class (Our Athletes, ridden by F Geroux)- Shine To Class has been perfect class (no, not that one), in her career thus far. In four races, she has visited the winner’s circle at the end every time, with the first three all being overnight races before she made her way to KEE last month for the $300.000 Limestone Turf Sprint. Remained perfect there, winning by almost a length, and will face several of these once again. If she can beat them before, she can do it again.

6- Matey (Red Fox Farms, ridden by A Beschizza)- Won the first three races of her career, but then struggled at the graded level. She was still able to make the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint, and finished in the middle of the field. There was not immediate improvement afterward, but would suddenly reverse that trend with a win in the $115.000 Melody Of Colors. So, now the question is, will there be more of that, or will she go back to those mid-pack finishes?

7- People Easer (Mb Stablers, ridden by Mar Garcia)- She won four of her first six races, highlighted by the $135.000 Stewart Manor at AQU in November. This year, she has only raced twice, and ran second going long in the Grade 3 FL Oaks at TAM. Fourth last time out in the Limestone Turf Sprint, a race that we have been mentioning a lot. One thing I find interesting about her is that all of her recent public works are on the dirt, so perhaps the trainer is hoping her better days are in different types of races.

8- Eighteen Ninety Two (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by L Saez)- Didn’t run against Just Average in the Senorita Stakes two weeks ago, but she was our pick to win that race before she ultimately got scratched out of it. Though she has mostly run long, it was six furlong work at SA that got my attention in that six and a half furlong race. Since then, she has been worked two more times and still looks promising. This time, I will not be picking her to win, as I did get to see Just Average two weeks ago, and Shine To Class looks good.

Prediction: 5-1-2-8

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES