Hollywood Park: Tiz a Classy Lass on improve entering Monday allowance

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Tiz a Classy Lass has forced trainer Marty Jones and owner and breeder Pamela Zieabarth to be patient this year.

The 3-year-old filly has made three starts. She won a maiden race at Betfair Hollywood Park in June in her second outing, and finished a game second in an optional claimer Oct. 13 at Santa Anita. Those races give reason to believe Tiz a Classy Lass can win for the second time in a $48,000 allowance race for California-bred females at Hollywood Park on Monday.

“She acts like a nice filly,” Jones said. “She’s developing. She’s been promising to this point.”

Monday’s race is run over 1 1/16 miles on turf, a distance that should suit Tiz a Classy Lass, who is by Tizbud. In the October race, she closed from last in a field of 10 to finish a length behind Journey On. Jones said she didn’t start between her June maiden win and that race because she got sick.

Rafael Bejarano, who had three wins on Thursday’s program, rides Tiz a Classy Lass for the first time on Monday. He replaces Julien Leparoux, who has relocated to Kentucky for the autumn.

The race drew a field of nine, including last-race winners Flaxen Maiden and Keldy. They each won a maiden race over a mile on turf at Santa Anita in October.

Keldy is trained by Dan Hendricks and owned by Russell Drake and Teresa McWilliams. Keldy beat maidens in her sixth start, a maiden race on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 14. She had been given a two-month break following a third-place finish in a maiden race on the synthetic surface at Del Mar in August.

“When she came back on the turf, she had matured over the summer and showed it,” Hendricks said. “I would think she’ll be right there. I have no reason to think she won’t be third or better.”

Blazen All Star was third behind Tiz a Classy Lass on Oct. 13. Trained by Mike Puype, Blazen All Star began her career in claiming races for maidens, but has shown improvement in two-turn races on turf. Puype said she is equally effective on synthetic tracks.

“I wish it was on synthetic, but she runs on turf,” Puype said. “She’s a solid, hard-trying horse. She’s a work in progress. She gets nervous. We keep working with her.”