Recharge (42-1) gives Asmussen 6th Houston Ladies Classic win

While it was not surprising to see Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen win another edition of the Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic, the race Saturday at Sam Houston Race Park provided plenty of excitement as $86.60 long shot Recharge pulled the upset over post-time favorite Alpine Princess.

Recharge dueled with Hoosier Philly for the lead for most of the race before Alpine Princess surged late to trigger a photo for the win. The final margin was a neck, and the time for the 1 1/16-mile race on the main track was 1:45.53.

Click here for Sam Houston entries and results.

Asmussen has won six editions of the Houston Ladies Classic including each of the last four years. 

One of three entrants from the Asmussen barn, Recharge was 20-1 on the morning line and went off at 42-1 in the field of nine fillies and mares.

Recharge is a 4-year-old filly by Gun Runner. Owned and bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds, she is out of multiple stakes-winning Tapit mare Remit, also trained by Asmussen during her racing career. 

“She ran a beautiful race,” Asmussen said Saturday. “She really stepped up and is now 6-for-8 in her lifetime. So much credit goes to Winchell Thoroughbreds for her truly amazing pedigree. I couldn’t have been happier with Ben Curtis’s ride. He is a true professional and rode her confidently.”

Curtis had the call in his first ride at Sam Houston. 

“She knows how to win,” Curtis said. “Her style is to be forwardly placed, so I let her go out and do her thing. She’s tough. She showed a good attitude fighting off two challengers in the lane.

As a 3-year-old Recharge tackled graded-stakes company in the Fantasy (G2) at Oaklawn, where she ran fifth in a field of 10 fillies led by eventual horse of the year Thorpedo Anna. 

A horse for the course, Recharge is 3-for-3 at Sam Houston. She is 8: 6-0-0 with earnings of $436,188 including $174,800 from Saturday’s victory.

“Her ceiling has not been reached,” Curtis said. “There’s a good future for her.”

Post-time favorite Alpine Princess (3-5) with Manny Franco in the irons flew late in the stretch and nearly caught the front-running duo at the wire. Trained by Brad Cox, Alpine Princess was the runner-up last out in the Comely (G3) at Aqueduct in November.

“The pace was too slow,” Franco said. “When I asked her for run, the leaders were too far ahead.”

Alpine Princess is owned by Full of Run Racing and Madaket Stables. The 4-year-old Classic Empire filly is 4-for-10 in her career with $470,000 in earnings.

Hoosier Philly (4-1) finished third after gamely chasing the winner from the start. Now a 5-year-old, Hoosier Philly is 6-for-17 including a victory in the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old. 

The Tom Amoss trainee was ridden by Edgar Morales for owner Gold Standard Racing Stable. 

Free Like a Girl (14-1) was fourth followed by Our Pretty Woman (7-2), Our Davina (34-1), Flashy Lass (10-1) and Kara (66-1). Our Pretty Woman and Flashy Lass also are trained by Asmussen.

Inaugurated in 2013, the Houston Ladies Classic was awarded its graded status in 2016.