Sarah Sis to Try Keeneland's TCA

Sarah Sis, winner of the Sept. 19 Presque Isle Masters Stakes (gr. II), will likely make her next start in Keeneland's Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr. II). The Oct. 8 race for fillies and mares at six furlongs is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event for the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I).

"She loves Keeneland," said owner Joe Ragsdale, referring to her two-for-two record in Lexington. "Her best distance seems to be 6 1/2 to 7 furlongs. It's a sweet area for her. We’re not sure about six furlongs, even though we're going to give that a shot in the TCA.

"It's a 'Win and You're In.' If we are fortunate enough, that would be a thrill, but also, if we don't make it, that's OK as well. She's in a place right now where she'd have to earn her way in."

Sarah Sis has had an up-and-down year as a 4-year-old, winning at Presque Isle Downs and taking the Chicago Handicap (gr. III) at her base at Arlington International Racecourse for trainer Ingrid Mason. She's also struggled in some starts, including an eighth-place finish at Churchill Downs in the seven-furlong Humana Distaff Stakes (gr. I), and off-the-board efforts at Saratoga Race Course in the Honorable Miss Stakes (gr. II) and Ballerina Stakes (gr. I). She won four of 10 starts last year including wins in Keeneland's Lexus Raven Run Stakes (gr. II), Iowa Oaks (gr. III), and Honeybee Stakes (gr. III), and was a close-up fourth in the Ballerina.

"You find out how challenging running against older fillies and mares at a high level really is, and trying to find out where your horse is really capable of performing is a learning process," Ragsdale said. "Keeping a horse sound at a high level of competition for three years is a tribute to Ingrid's care. She's missed a little bit of time due to 'shipping fever' or gastric issues, but from a soundness issue, she's been great."

Sarah Sis, a dark bay or brown filly by Sharp Humor—Emerald Gal, by Gilded Time, was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Catherine Rene White DVM. She was a $10,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase by Luis Chonqui; Ragsdale and Mason took her for $20,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s June sale from the Doble Jak consignment.

Following her 3-year-old run Sarah Sis was put in last fall's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale, where Ragsdale bought her back for $1.2 million.

Regardless of how the season plays out for Sarah Sis, she'll likely be back in the Fasig-Tipton November sale ring.

"Putting her in the sale last year was kind of a testing-the-waters process," Ragsdale said. "I had made it known that I still wanted to run her another year. Frankly we'll probably be putting her in the Fasig-Tipton sale again this year."