Ladies Classic highlights Houston Racing Festival

Brushed by a Star arrived safe and sound at Sam Houston in advance of her run in the Ladies Classic (Photo courtesy of Sam Houston Race Park) The $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic will take center stage Saturday at Sam Houston Race Park, debuting as the richest race in the track’s history and anchoring a four-stakes card that also features the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup. The 1 1/16-mile Houston Ladies Classic has drawn six runners, but most will be watching Summer Applause’s performance in her return from a more than eight-month layoff. The Harlan’s Holiday filly was a top contender on the Kentucky Oaks trail last season, capturing the Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra while running second in the Silverbulletday and Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks. Summer Applause was beaten by Believe You Can in those latter two races, and fell to that rival in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks as well, finishing fourth in the nine-furlong contest. That would be the Bret Calhoun trainee’s final start as a three-year-old and, even though her conditioner wanted to get a start into her prior to the Houston Ladies Classic, the bay four-year-old will enter Saturday’s race off a trio of works at Fair Grounds from this month, most recently going five furlongs in 1:00 3/5. The Houston Ladies Classic will renew the rivalry between Brushed by a Star and Joyful Victory after the former, a five-year-old daughter of Eddington, got the best of Joyful Victory in their last two outings. Brushed by a Star stuck her head in front of Joyful Victory on the wire of the Grade 2 Chilukki, then finished second to that one’s third in the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap in the duo’s last start of 2012. The bay mare was making her first start for new trainer Eddie Kenneally in the Falls City, and also strung together three straight last season, including a victory in the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park. Corey Lanerie stays in the saddle after holding the reins in the Chilukki and Falls City.

“She shipped in with no issues,” Kenneally said. “She is a
very nice mare. In her last race, she got
shuffled back, but overcame her bad start and still finished well. This mare
likes to run pretty close to the pace; Corey knows her and rode her in her last
two.”

Joyful Victory is seeking her first win since taking the Tiffany Lass at Fair
Grounds last February. The Larry Jones-conditioned Tapit mare has been second or
third in her five starts since that one while criss-crossing the country,
including a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Zenyatta at Santa Anita. Rosie
Napravnik was aboard for the Zenyatta and retains the mount here.

“She had some good results last year, although it was kind
of unfortunate that she only managed one win,” Jones said. “There will
little issues, here and there, but she is training well.

“Seems like we have good luck with our fillies,”
he added.

Sisterly Love will be making her stakes bow in this spot while being saddled
by Mark Casse for the first time as well. The five-year-old daughter of Bellamy
Road owns just three career starts, but was unbeatable in that trio in Florida.
The bay mare made her career debut at Calder last October, scoring by 11 1/2
lengths, then moved to Gulfstream to take a pair of allowances in December.
Regular rider Luis Saez will be back in the irons.

“We’re taking a humongous step up,” Casse admitted. “We’ve
only had her for a month, but she trains like a good horse. She will van over
(Wednesday) from Ocala with Lockout (who will run in the Connally Turf Cup).”

She’s All In and Lookinforchange complete the Houston Ladies Classic, with
the former bringing a two-race win streak into the race and the latter owning
the only experience over the track when fifth last February in the Jersey Lilly.

In honor of the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic, Sam
Houston has joined forces with the Houston affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and will donate $1 for each patron to benefit the charity. Patrons can also show their support for the fight against
breast cancer by entering the “Think Pink Hat Contest.” Registration will begin at 5 p.m.
(CST) on the Club Level of the Grandstand.
The judging will take place at 7:30 p.m. and the winner will receive $500.

The Connally Turf Cup will take place one race before the Houston Ladies
Classic and boasts a competitive field of 10 going 1 1/8 miles on the turf. King
David will try to rebound off a close fourth-placing in the Claiming Crown
Emerald on December 1. The Hat Trick four-year-old was an upset winner of the
Grade 1 Jamaica Handicap last October, but has been unable to duplicate that
performance in two starts since, though he did beat the re-opposing Lockout when
second to that one’s third in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf two back.

Also entered are Grade 2 victor Willcox Inn, second to recently crowned Horse
of the Year Wise Dan in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland, and
multiple Grade 3-placed stakes winner Swift Warrior, fourth by just three parts
of a length in the Grade 3 River City Handicap in late November.

The Houston Racing Festival will also feature the $75,000

Champion Energy Services, a five-furlong turf sprint, and the $50,000

Allen’s Landing going seven furlongs. The Champion Energy Services has
veteran runner and 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint hero Chamberlain Bridge drawn
in the far outside 10 post, while Super Bowl scorer Tour Guide tops the eight
sophomores entered in the Allen’s Landing.

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