I'm a Chatterbox highlights Houston Ladies Classic draw

I’m a Chatterbox drew post 4 in a field of seven for the Grade 3, $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston Race Park on Sunday. The race is one of five stakes on the most significant program of the Sam Houston meet.

Entries for the races were drawn Monday. Other stakes on the card include the Grade 3, $250,000 Connally Turf Cup, a 1 1/2-mile race for 4-year-olds and up that drew a trio of entries from trainer Mike Maker.

I’m a Chatterbox, a multiple Grade 1 winner, is the probable favorite for the Houston Ladies Classic, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares. Florent Geroux has the mount for trainer Larry Jones. The complete field from the rail with riders is: Danzatrice, Luis Saez; Another Bond Girl, David Cabrera; Family Tree, Julien Leparoux; I’m a Chatterbox, Geroux; Tiffany Case, DeShawn Parker; Steel Cut, Robby Albarado; and Unbridled Mo, Jose Ortiz.

A flight is scheduled to bring horses from Florida, according to officials with Sam Houston.

The Houston Ladies Classic will go as the ninth race on a 10-race program that starts at noon Central. Post for the Houston Ladies Classic, which is the richest Thoroughbred race in Texas, is 4:10 p.m.

The five stakes will run consecutively Sunday, starting with the $75,000 Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint, which goes as the sixth race with a field of 12. It will be followed by the $50,000 Space City for 3-year-olds at six furlongs, the Connally, the Houston Ladies Classic, and the $50,000 Houston Distaff for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

The Connally drew eight horses, with Bigger Picture, in post 4 with Jose Ortiz; Greengrassofyoming, post 5 with Albarado; and Oscar Nominated, post 8 with Geroux, all from Maker's barn.

Sam Houston had been closed to shippers from Louisiana, but on Saturday announced it will be accepting some horses from that state, including runners from Fair Grounds, provided certain conditions are met. The track had barred horses from Louisiana due to positives for equine herpesvirus at Fair Grounds.

The long-range forecast for Sunday is partly sunny and a high of 64 degrees, according to The Weather Channel. The Houston Ladies Classic card is the lone Sunday program of the meet at Sam Houston.