The Ladies Turf Sprint ($125.000 Purse)
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Five Furlongs on the Turf
February 8, 2025

Nine older females will head to the gate in what is the 19th running of the Ladies Turf Sprint. Similar to the Pelican Stakes, the race ran for a small purse, $65.000, at inception, and has not been held every year. In 2017, that purse was increased to $125.000, and it has bounced around slightly since then. 2024’s winner was Ponzi Scheme, for TwinTowersRacing. She went on to have a strong year, but she was also not an unknown when she ran in this race last time out. We have a couple of big earners going at it here in 2025 and they will have the targets on their back for the others hoping that this is their time to shine. Here’s a look at the field:

1- Nazca Lines (Delta Farms, ridden by M J Husbands)- One of the two horses in the field that have made over $1,000.000 in their careers, and Nazca Lines is hot right now. She’s won two of three, including the Grade 1 La Brea last time out and prior to that, she came from behind to be fifth in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. One thing she has not done at all in her career is run on the grass, and for a late running filly, will she be ready for the wire at five furlongs? Am I reaching for possible concerns? Maybe.

2- Sweet T (Spb Racing, ridden by L Salles)- In September, she was moved from the dirt to the turf, and seeing a “T” on her race lines has been sweet for Sweet T. She’d go on a three-race winning streak, two of them being ungraded races, and has continued to collect a portion of the purse ever since. Last time out, she was a tough luck third in a three-way photo at the wire in the SSM F/M Turf Sprint, losing to Emily and Alice Springs. She can get revenge on them here.

3- Alice Springs (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J Bravo)- Finished second in that aforementioned three-way photo at the SSM F/M Turf Sprint last time out. For Alice Springs, it was her second race with the trainer, who purchased her in the September auction for $132.000. Prior to the sale, she was a consistent entry in graded races at a mile or more on the dirt, including the Personal Ensign at the Spa. This will be her second time in a turf sprint, with last month being the first time.

4- Miss Fury (Mb Stables, ridden by E J Zayas)- Here’s the second horse in the field to have made over $1,000.000 for her career, eclipsing that amount last month with a victory in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes at SA. If we throw out the BC Turf Sprint, she has hit the board in every race since September 2023. In the BC, she ran in the middle of the field, so certainly not a result where you sound the alarms. Unlike Nazca Lines, she’s proven herself in turf sprints and is the one to beat here.

5- Rowdy Spirit (Sim Speed Stable, ridden by Hector Barrios)- As her breeder, she will have my rooting interest, and it’s nice to see her have a successful career. She’s won half of her 22 career starts, with one ungraded win back in 2023. Last September, Sim Speed Stable claimed her for $35.000 and has looked good in optional claimers since then. Rides a two-race winning streak, so it’s a good time for her to get another chance at this level. Purse wise, it’s a great spot, but unfortunately, she has to deal with a couple monsters.

6- Sinisoul (Alydar Stables, ridden by P Husbands)- Early in 2024, she was able to get the job done in small ungraded stakes, but has become a little hit and miss as of late. Last October, she won the $150.000 Glen Cove at AQU on the turf but was moved to the dirt after that race. Her last effort, a few days before Christmas, saw her pull a no show in the $125.000 Sugar Swirl and that will bring her back to the grass.

7- Emily (Nakamura Stables, ridden by Edg Perez)- Managed to get the upper hand in that close three-way photo with Alice Springs and Sweet T in her last race, the $125.000 SSM F/M Turf Sprint, for CA-Breds, at SA. Only two of her career races have been turf sprints, that one, and a starter allowance back in 2023, and she won both of them. Typically, a competitive runner, it’s going to be interesting to see how she fares in this condition against strong opposition. Look for her to run well.

8- Bronxbabesarebest (Big Jd Racing, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- When we last saw her, she took on Miss Fury in the Las Cienegas Stakes and finished second to her, being beaten by a length. She has been a regular runner in stakes company, but with one exception, she has not been able to win any of them and that has kept her from running against the likes of Miss Fury more often. The race she did win was the $125.000 Pea Patch at ELP, in a smaller field. Perhaps she just needs a little more luck at the wire, too.

9- Kuul Off (Asgar, ridden by L Dettori)- Unfortunately for the trainer, Kuul Off’s name represents what she has done over her last three races. After handling ungraded company well over the late spring and summer months, Kuul Off has struggled. Sure, this isn’t the $2,000.000 Music City Stakes, and she’s not going nine furlongs like she tried in the Sands Point, so perhaps she can right the ship here. I’m going to look elsewhere, though.

Prediction: 4-7-2-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded