I'm a Chatterbox targets Houston Ladies Classic

I’m a Chatterbox, one of the best dirt mares in training, is galloping at Fair Grounds toward a start in the Grade 3, $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic on Jan. 29 at Sam Houston Race Park, according to trainer Larry Jones.

“I expect her to show up on the work tab this weekend,” Jones said Thursday.

I’m a Chatterbox most recently finished fifth after contesting the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She was flown from California to Kentucky, at which point her connections, Jones and owners Carolyn and Fletcher Gray, took the opportunity to give her a brief respite at the farm.

“We gave her a couple weeks off, but not as much time as last year because we were looking at Houston,” said Jones. “This will be her primary objective for the winter.”

Jones said plans call for I’m a Chatterbox to be given a break following the race in Houston and then point toward the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap in July, a race she won this year, with an eye toward the BC Distaff at year’s end.

The 4-year-old I’m a Chatterbox won 3 of 6 starts in 2016, notching a seven-length win in the Grade 1 Spinster along with victories in the Delaware Handicap and the Obeah. The filly, by Munnings, has earned nearly $2.27 million during her career.