Houston Racing Festival: Find picks, follow Sunday's action
Saturday featured coast-to-coast graded-stakes action, from Colonel Liam and Life Is Good’s Pegasus triumphs at Gulfstream Park, to Newgrange’s Kentucky Derby trail win at Oaklawn Park, to Forbidden Kingdom’s springboard onto the Derby trail at Santa Anita.
Now the Space City moves into the racing spotlight.
Sam Houston hosts its annual Houston Racing Festival on Sunday. The card features six stakes races, including two graded contests: the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) and the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3).
Before you play Sunday’s races, check out Horse Racing Nation’s Sam Houston picks page. And for on-site coverage of the day’s action, follow Ed DeRosa, HRN’s VP for product and content development, on Twitter at @EJXD2.
Here is a look at the fields for the card’s two graded events. Visit HRN’s stakes tracker to see who is lined up for Sam Houston’s other Sunday stakes.
Pauline’s Pearl (6-5) is favored for trainer Steve Asmussen in this event that boasts Letruska (2021), Midnight Bisou (2019) and Forever Unbridled (2016) among its notable heroines. Jockey Joel Rosario flies in to ride the 4-year-old Tapit filly, winner of Oaklawn’s Fantasy Stakes (G3) last April. John Ortiz trains The Mary Rose (3-1), who steps up to stakes flight off a New Year’s Eve allowance win at Oaklawn. Audrey’s Time (7-2) is a last-out winner of Fair Grounds’ Joseph E. Spanky Broussard Memorial Stakes on Dec. 27 for trainer Neil Pessin.
2022 Houston Ladies Classic (G3)
Ajourneytofreedom (7-2), who finished second in this event one year ago, aims to do one better Sunday for trainer Mike Maker. Rosario also has the mount on the 5-year-old Hard Spun gelding, who was second Christmas Eve at Gulfstream Park in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes. Ignacio Correas IV trains Fantasioso (9-2), a South American stakes hero who was one spot behind Ajourneytofreedom in the Jerkens. Hierarchy (5-1) is a Churchill Downs and Saratoga allowance winner making his Sam Houston debut for trainer Joe Sharp.
2022 John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3)
| Rank | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conviction Trade Exchange Rate | J. Caldwell L. Luzzi |
| Entered | ||||
| Hierarchy Point of Entry | J. Sharp C. Lanerie |
| Entered | ||||
| Tide of the Sea English Channel | M. Maker T. Gaffalione |
| Entered | ||||
| Strong Tide English Channel | M. Lauer G. Franco |
| Entered | ||||
| Decision Maker Court Vision | T. Van Berg M. Pedroza |
| Entered | ||||
| Fantasioso Strategic Prince | I. Correas J. Graham |
| Entered | ||||
| Malthael Noble Mission | M. Maker R. Gutierrez |
| Entered | ||||
| Logical Myth Data Link | J. Sharp A. Beschizza |
| Entered | ||||
| Another Mystery Temple City | C. Block J. Loveberry |
| Entered | ||||
| Dyn O Mite Goldencents | J. Desormeaux S. Elliott |
| Entered | ||||
| Ajourneytofreedom Hard Spun | M. Maker J. Rosario |
| Entered | ||||
| Parrot Head Tourist | J. Castellanos E. Valdez-Jiminez |
| Entered | ||||
| Shady McGee Zoffany | M. Maker R. Eramia |
| Entered | ||||
| Celerity City Zip | W. Cundiff I. Diego |
| Entered |