La Cara Starts Season in Houston Ladies Classic

Sam Houston Race Park hosts its biggest day of the racing year Jan. 24 as the Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) is the feature of five stakes on a 12-race card. The day got even bigger when entries were taken for the $300,000 event, luring one of last season's 3-year-old filly stars: La Cara .

A dual grade 1-winning homebred for Tracy Farmer, trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, La Cara is set to make her seasonal debut Saturday while breaking from the far outside in an eight-horse field. The filly received a freshening at the end of 2025 after setting the pace in the Sept. 20 Cotillion Stakes (G1) and fading to finish fifth.

Back on the work tab at Oaklawn Park since Dec. 11, the Street Sense   filly is a clear 9-5 favorite on the morning line with Cristian Torres in town to ride her for the first time since her debut in May 2024.

Joel Politi's Standoutsensation  is the standout pace competitor to La Cara on paper. The dual stakes-winning Take Charge Indy   mare trained by Tom Amoss has been first or second at every point of call in five of her last six starts—winning all five and placing second in the other.

Also back from a layoff is dual stakes winner Take Charge Milady  for trainer Kenny McPeek and owners James Ball, Magdalena Racing, and Kenneth Rhodes. Another Take Charge Indy filly, she last finished fourth in the Coaching Club American Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1) in July. Team Valor International's group 3 winner, Queen Azteca , enters in search of her first American win and exits her best stateside finish yet, placing second behind Standoutsensation in Oaklawn's Pippin Stakes Dec. 26 for Rodolphe Brisset.

Truly Quality Ships In for Connally

A full field of 12 older horses is scheduled to line up for the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes over 1 1/2 miles on turf Saturday.

Augustin Stables' homebred Truly Quality  is listed as a clear 8-5 favorite on the morning line as trainer Jonathan Thomas ships him to Texas off a victory in the Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar Nov. 28, where he equaled his career-high 110 Equibase Speed Figure.

The three-time graded stakes winner is joined from California by Stepaside Farm's Nineeleventurbo , who was third in that Hollywood Turf Cup in his last start at Saturday's distance, and dual graded stakes winner Offlee Naughty , whose new connections have cross-entered in the William L. McKnight Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park the same day.

Locals Illustrator , Country Caper , and Ocelot  have all proven success over the course and aim to pull a big upset against the shippers.

Maiden Winners Look Key in Texas Turf Mile

The $100,000 Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile Stakes has been a productive race in recent years, with multiple graded stakes winners Andthewinneris , Neat , and multiple stakes winner Chasing Liberty  winning the last three editions.

Two of those three entered the race already carrying stakes credentials, and two stakes winners are listed as longshots this year: Casa Cielo  at 15-1 and Essential Time  at 20-1.

Last-out maiden winners are getting more attention from the morning line as C R K Stable's Remember Mamba  is listed as the 9-5 favorite off a debut win at Keeneland in October. However, trainer Cherie DeVaux opted instead to run him at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Jan. 22, where he won an allowance optional claimer. Next up is last-out Fair Grounds maiden winner Aces Honor  for Pocket Aces Racing and trainer Ethan West at 5-2, and the horse who finished third behind in in that, Cruisin Chuck , at 7-2.