Serengeti Empress Headlines Houston Ladies Classic

Making the first steps of her 4-year-old campaign Jan. 26 will be Joel Politi's American classic-winning filly Serengeti Empress, who will headline the field of the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) during the Houston Racing Festival at Sam Houston Race Park. 

The Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner is one of six fillies and mares to have drawn into the 1 1/16-mile dirt event. Trained by Tom Amoss, the daughter of Alternation  has been winless in four starts since the Oaks at Churchill Downs but has performed admirably in each successive start. She was second in the Acorn Stakes (G1) and Longines Test Stakes (G1) and enters the Ladies Classic off a third in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

"There were a few things for consideration," Amoss said regarding the decision to target the filly toward a start at Sam Houston. "It just seemed like a logical starting point for 2020. The purse is very good, and the race has been an excellent first stakes of the year for several very nice fillies."

Serengeti Empress has been training forwardly since the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park, breezing three times at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

"She worked (five furlongs) on Saturday morning to sharpen her," said Amoss, who last contested the Ladies Classic in 2015 with Kiss to Remember. "She's doing well, so we're going to ship Saturday morning, and the game plan will be what it always is: We are going to send away from the gate and try to control things from the front end." 

Jockey Flavien Prat will ship in from California to join Serengeti Empress in the starting gate from post 1. Amoss said his filly is ready to get back to business as usual.

"I have a lot of experience with her, and I've been on her a lot," Amoss said. "She's showing me all the signs that she's ready to start back." 

Joining Serengeti Empress will be fellow millionaire Street Band. Owned by Ray Francis, Cindy and Larry Jones, Medallion Racing, and MyRaceHorse Stable, the daughter of Istan turned in her final work Jan. 21 at Fair Grounds, working a bullet five furlongs in :59 2/5. 

A multiple graded stakes winner, Street Band earned top-level honors last year when she took the Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing. She closed her sophomore season with an eighth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Regular rider Sophie Doyle will have the return call from post 6.  

"It looks like the toughest one yet," trainer Larry Jones said of the Ladies Classic field. Jones has won two editions of the Ladies Classic—the inaugural running in 2013 with Joyful Victory and again in 2015 with Cassatt. 

"This race at Sam Houston Race Park has been a nice fit for us, and to win it three times would be great for this cowboy," Jones said. 

Carrying the banner for the Steve Asmussen barn will be Lady Apple, who most recently won the Remington Park Oaks (G3) in September at Remington Park. Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and KatieRich Stables, the Curlin  filly finished an admirable third to Serengeti Empress in the Kentucky Oaks and won the Fantasy Stakes (G3) and Iowa Oaks (G3). 

Shipped to Sam Houston in December, Lady Apple has worked two five-furlong bullets on the dirt surface, timed in 1:00 2/5 and 1:00 flat. 

"She's a quality filly," Asmussen said. "It was very unfortunate that she had to miss the Zia Oaks (shipping restrictions were enacted due to reported cases of equine herpesvirus-1 at Remington Park). "We sent her directly to Sam Houston at the end of the Remington meet and had to schedule extended works to prepare for the Ladies Classic."

Asmussen won last year's renewal of the Ladies Classic with multiple grade 1 winner Midnight Bisou, a finalist for an Eclipse Award in the category of older dirt female. 

"I have nothing but respect for the competition this year," Asmussen said. "The Houston Ladies Classic was the first stakes for the successful year we had with Midnight Bisou. We hope that Lady Apple moves forward as well from her 2020 debut."

Lady Apple will break from post 4 with Ricardo Santana Jr. in the irons. 

The field Sunday also includes Brad Cox trainee and Falls City Handicap (G2) winner Mylady Curlin; Out for a Spin, who won the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland; and Saracosa, who won the Bob Fortus Memorial Stakes last month at Fair Grounds.  

Entries: Houston Ladies Classic S. (G3)

Sam Houston Race Park, Sunday, January 26, 2020, Race 8

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:20 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Serengeti Empress (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Thomas M. Amoss	7/5
2	2Out for a Spin (VA)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	120	Dallas Stewart	10/1
3	3Saracosa (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Brendan P. Walsh	15/1
4	4Lady Apple (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	123	Steven M. Asmussen	9/2
5	5Mylady Curlin (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	123	Brad H. Cox	7/2
6	6Street Band (KY)	Sophie Doyle	123	J. Larry Jones	5/2