Actress can cap a big week for Wests in Houston Ladies Classic

Actress will seek to successfully close out a significant race week for owners Gary and Mary West on Sunday when she faces older rivals for the first time in the Grade 3, $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston Race Park.

“It will be a good test for her,” said Ben Glass, racing manager for the Wests.

Actress’s attempt comes during a week in which the couple’s West Coast picked up an Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old male Thursday and was to run Saturday in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream.

Actress dominated the Grade 3 Comely in her 3-year-old finale in November at Aqueduct and by virtue of that performance could go favored over seven others in the Houston Ladies Classic. The 1 1/16-mile race for older fillies and mares is the richest Thoroughbred offering in Texas and it anchors a card of six stakes that includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Turf Cup. First post is 12:10 p.m. Central.

The Houston Ladies Classic field also includes Valadorna, runner-up in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; Martini Glass, who ran second last year in the Spinster at Keeneland and the Delaware Handicap, both Grade 1’s; Tiger Moth, the runner-up in the Grade 2 Falls City in November at Churchill; Sandy’s Surprise, romping winner of the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks; and Ready to Confess, winner of the $100,000 She’s All In last month at Remington and a daughter of the Grade 1-winning mare Confessional.

The Houston Ladies Classic has long been on the table for Actress, a homebred for the Wests who won her maiden in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico.

“We’ve always looked at that race,” Glass said. “We actually ran Family Tree in it a couple of years ago. Every year, we look at that race.”

KEY CONTENDERS

Actress, by Tapit
Last 3 Beyers: 97-87-86

◗ She popped a career-high Beyer Figure of 97 in the Comely, a 1 1/8-mile race for which she added blinkers, stalked the pace, then drew clear by 8 1/4 lengths. Jose Ortiz, who on Thursday won the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey of 2017, was aboard and again has the mount for trainer Jason Servis.

“I think the blinkers helped her tremendously,” Glass said. “She was getting too far back, giving herself too much to do. I thought she ran a fine race.”

Valadorna, by Curlin
Last 3 Beyers: 88-85-83

◗ She’s defeated older rivals in each of her last two starts, first winning an optional $40,000 claiming route Dec. 8 at Fair Grounds. Valadorna then closed out her 3-year-old season at the track with a 3 1/2-length victory in the $50,000 Tiffany Lass on Dec. 26.

“We were concerned it was back a little quick and she handled it well,” said trainer Mark Casse. “I thought she won the race fairly easily and ran fast. I think it was a good confidence-builder for her and more importantly she seems to have come out of that race bigger and stronger.”

◗ Brian Hernandez Jr., has the mount for breeder and owner Stonestreet Stables.

Sandy’s Surprise, by Drosselmeyer
Last 3 Beyers: 82-87-79

◗ She defeated older rivals in September in an optional $40,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos, then won the first stakes race of her career two starts later in the Zia Park Oaks. She stalked the pace, burst to the lead and shuttled home under Mario Gutierrez, who has the mount again Sunday.

“I thought it was a dynamite race,” said trainer Doug O’Neill. “She responded great when Mario called on her.”