The Distaff Handicap (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
AQU- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
April 4, 2026

It wasn’t the biggest race of the day, but a field of nine was still hoping to pick up a strong win in the Grade 3 Distaff Handicap. Viking Cat seemed like one of the top choices and was made our pick to win and she would back that support up, winning in a photo over Chase The Money. This seven-year-old mare is hitting her best stride now, winning three of her last four races, and she has only won four in total. She’s trained by Bigchief Stables, who picks up his first Distaff Handicap trophy. That’s also true for jockey P Husbands, congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:21.45, which would be in the upper half of quickest times of the race’s history. Let’s take a look at it:

(1/4 Mile- :22.84)- With something to prove to her trainer Night Rider Stables, Dupixent jumps out to the lead, and opens up a two-length advantage as they move down the backstretch. Sense Of Pride will hold the second spot, for Serenity Stables, as Martyparty’s Save Ferris is within a half-length to her outside and D J C Racing Stables’ Sassy State is a similar distance back to her inside. Running behind them in the middle of the field is where we find our eventual winner from Bigchief Stables, Viking Cat. She runs in the lane right behind Sense Of Pride. Chase The Money, who’s out of Avenue Z, is next on the rail. The three trailers are all alongside one another. From inside to outside, they are Houseofidentity (Noblepark), Salamander (Winning Link Stables), and Star Sapphire (John Henry).

(½ Mile- :46.10)- Dupixent pours it on over the backstretch and into the turn. Not sure if this is because she wanted to convince Night Rider to keep her racing with a dominant wire to wire win or because she wanted to retire and purposely wanted to wear herself out. Further back, the rest of the field is essentially in the same alignment as they were after a quarter mile. This includes Viking Cat still waiting for his time to the strike in the middle of the pack while running behind Sense Of Pride. Let’s move ahead to further action!

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- The leader is still Dupixent, trying to hang on to her lead, as it’s still about a two-length cushion. Meanwhile, about midway into the turn, we start to see Viking Cat hit her best stride, and she will look for daylight to the outside of Sense Of Pride. There would be enough of it, and she would come through that gap rather quickly, and now has a head in front of the other three entering the stretch. That group also consists of Sassy State, who’s hanging tough on the inside, but the same could not be said for Save Ferris, as she starts to drop back. Chase The Money is running well and will look for a lane on the rail entering the stretch. From the back, Star Sapphire is turned it up, pulling well ahead of those she was running with earlier, but still has to make up about two lengths on Viking Cat, and that will be tough. At the back, Salamander was lacking concern. Unfortunately, my concern about Houseofidentity not liking being such a massive high weight was playing out as she trailed the field.

(Finish- 1:21.45)- Viking Cat is full of run at the top of the stretch, and it’s not just how quickly she was reeling in Dupixent, but how easily she made quick work of Sassy State and Sense Of Pride. Chase The Money was another one running well, and she would make the most of her lane on the rail. With a furlong to go, it didn’t seem like these two would end up as close as they were, so give credit to Chase The Money for how well she did run late. However, Viking Cat was not going to be caught, maintaining her own consistent stride and earning a win. Chase The Money is second, while the late running Star Sapphire prevails in a photo for show with Sassy State. Dupixent winds up fifth, and that’s not going to be enough for her. In fact, amazingly, she has already given birth! The rest of the order will read Save Ferris, Sense Of Pride, Salamander, and a weighted down Houseofidentity.

About The Winner- Viking Cat, trained by Bigchief Stables and ridden to victory by P Husbands, is a seven-year-old mare by the late Viking Steel and is out of the late Catherine G. She was bred by Bayou Star Farm in Louisiana as a second quarter two-year-old and was acquired by Bigchief Stables while she was still unraced for $15.000 in a July 2021 private sale. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fourth in 20 starts, her third stake win and first graded win. Her career earnings are now $335.230.

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES