Tiger Moth Just Gets Up to Take Houston Ladies Classic

John Gunther's homebred Tiger Moth only had her head in front for a moment in the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Jan. 28, but it was the moment that mattered.

Last of eight under jockey Florent Geroux through much of the 1 1/16-mile test at Sam Houston Race Park, the Brad Cox-trained Street Sense  mare made a wide closing bid in the stretch and just got up to defeat 4-5 favorite Actress by a neck.

Actress also closed from far back in seventh, but got caught very wide in the second turn and was edged out at the wire.

Adore set the pace in the Houston Ladies Classic and put up fractions of :23.98, :47.99, and 1:13.21 through six furlongs while pressed by fellow longshot Promise of Spring. In the stretch, the frontrunners tired and the race turned into a wide-open sprint to the wire.

Sandy's Surprise had a lead with a furlong to run, but could not hold off the outside closers and a rail bid from Martini Glass, who finished third, a length behind Actress.

Tiger Moth finished in 1:46.01. Already a grade 3 winner after her score in the Aug. 13 Groupie Doll at Ellis Park, she now has $642,107 in earnings and a 6-5-3 record from 22 starts. She was bred in Kentucky out of the winning Sir Cat mare Saratoga Cat.