Classic Lady collects second stakes in Ticonderoga

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Classic Lady fends off challengers to score her second stakes victory in Friday’s Ticonderoga at Belmont Park. NYRA Photo.

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Classic Lady has only raced three times in 2021 but made the most of that light schedule when she registered her second stakes victory in Friday’s $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes for older New York-bred fillies and mares.

Belmont Park played host to the experienced mare in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes as she made her first start since late August when she finished third in the Yaddo Handicap. The layoff didn’t cause too much rust with the Jimmy Creed mare breaking sharp from the rail to settle into third as Silky Blue and Two Cent Tootsie sprinted away from the field. The two leaders opened up nearly 5 lengths on Classic Lady and Giacosa, who had taken up a spot just to her outside.

Paco Lopez let Classic Lady set her own pace as she galloped comfortably along the rail through early fractions of :24.26 and :50.40. The field closed on the leaders around the turn of the inner turf course with Classic Lady finally giving up her rail spot to go to the outside of the pacemakers.

As the field entered the final furlong and a half, Classic Lady made her move and soon had a few lengths on the field. Not asked for her best in the final sixteenth, her margin was cut down to 1 1/4 lengths with the race for second more of a battle with Cara’s Dreamer finishing a head in front of Timeless Journey. Barkin finished a half-length back in fourth.

“The filly was training very well and we’re fortunate that [the owners] were willing to take a chance to go on with it [at 6 years old],” said trainer Christophe Clement’s son and assistant trainer Miguel Clement. “She really seemed to thrive at Saratoga in the cooler weather.”

The former $50,000 claimer stopped the clock in 1:43.35 to register her fifth victory in 21 starts. Overall, the Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso-owned runner has 15 top-three finishes in 21 starts for $401,290 in earnings.

Dubb claimed the mare with trainer Jorge Abreu for $50,000 at Gulfstream Park in January 2019 before transferring her to Clement’s barn in 2020. Among her starts for Clement is a win in last year’s Dayatthespa Stakes at Saratoga and a second in the Mount Vernon Stakes at Belmont in addition to her two stakes performances this year.

Bred by Seth Gregory and Robert Barney, Classic Lady was a $22,500 yearling purchase by Linda Sims out of the Seth Gregory Bloodstock consignment at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Gregory purchased her dam, Elle Tish Slew, for $15,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Classic Lady isn’t the only successful New York-bred out of Elle Tish Slew, who also produced dual stakes-placed Forever Changed and 10-time winning New York-bred Calzini Rossi. Still in training, the 5-year-old Forever Change was the final foal for Elle Tish Slew.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ClassicLady-Ticonderoga.jpg

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2021/11/05/classic-lady-collects-second-stakes-in-ticonderoga/