Walter Wlodarczyk Photo

Tizzy in the Sky and Julia Shining represent Pletcher in $150K Ladies

by Christian Abdo

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will send out the graded stakes-winning duo of Tizzy in the Sky and Julia Shining in Saturday’s $150,000 Ladies, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

KimDon Racing’s Tizzy in the Sky [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche] has five career wins, all over the Big A dirt, including a grade-making score last out in the Grade 3 Go for Wand on December 7. There, the 6-year-old Sky Kingdom dark bay stalked the pace in the one-turn mile before taking over in the turn and holding off the favored Occult to win by a half-length.

The performance avenged an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford on June 8 at Saratoga Race Course. She was defeated by Randomized, Idiomatic, Pretty Mischievous, Raging Sea and Soul of an Angel - all five rivals now have at least one Grade 1 victory. Idiomatic and Soul of an Angel are 2024 Eclipse Award finalists for Champion Older Dirt Female and Female Sprinter, respectively.

“We were really happy for her,” said Pletcher’s New York-based assistant Stu Hampson. “She’s shown an affinity for this racetrack. At the time, we probably would have been of the opinion that we would’ve loved another work or two. She certainly should come forward off the race, so we are excited to get her back over there and hopefully she can produce a similar result.”

Tizzy in the Sky’s other win in her past four-start campaign was a nine-length score at Saturday’s distance in the Listed Top Flight Invitational in April. She boasts an 8-5-2-0 record over the main track, with two additional nine-plus lengths romps in the allowance ranks and a 5 3/4-length maiden score.

Stonestreet Stables’ Kentucky homebred Julia Shining [post 5, Dylan Davis] has been well-regarded since her winning debut in October 2022 as she is a full sister to 2021-22 dual Champion Malathaat, being out of the Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Dreaming of Julia.

The 5-year-old Curlin bay won the local nine-furlong Grade 2 Demoiselle in her second start, then it was eight races until her next trip to the winner’s circle when capturing a one-turn mile optional claimer after stumbling at the start last out on December 1 here.

“We’ve always had really high hopes for her. She has been quite brilliant at times,” said Hampson. “She returned to that here. She is another one who has shown a liking to the surface here. We are excited to run her back, and hopefully start to ease into a big year.”

Julia Shining holds a 10-3-1-3 record with $391,275 in the bank, including a third in the 2023 Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland and a nose defeat later that year to now Grade 1-winner Raging Sea in the local nine-furlong Grade 3 Comely.

Hampson said that Tizzy in the Sky and Julia Shining may complement each other well, as a typically prominent runner and a more off-the-pace type, respectively.

“You’d expect that Tizzy in the Sky, at the very worst, would be in the first flight of horses. Julia Shining has shown at times that she takes a little to wind up and get going, such as in her maiden breaking score and about a month ago,” said Hampson. “We are not going to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do, because she has proven she is a talented filly that can overcome a slow start.”

Owner/trainer Linda Rice’s Just Music [post 2, Jose Lezcano] is set for her stakes debut in her 17th career start. The 4-year-old Audible bay enters from a nine-furlong optional claiming win on December 6 here. In five efforts at the distance, Just Music has never been worse than third.

“Just Music really likes the mile and an eighth and I think that as she's getting older her numbers are getting faster,” Rice said. “If I can keep finding races at a mile and an eighth or further, I think she'll be in great shape."

Winter success for Rice has become the norm, with her topping the trainer standings at this meet the past two years, along with 2019-2020.

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Comparative [post 4, Manny Franco] looks to round back into form for dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox. The 5-year-old Street Sense bay won last year’s Ladies over next-out stakes winner Saddle Up Jessie ahead of a victory in the Grade 3 Bayakoa in February at Oaklawn Park.

Comparative, since that pair of stakes scores, has finished off the board in the Grade 2 Azeri at Oaklawn, as well as the local Top Flight and Grade 3 Go for Wand last out - well back of the aforementioned Tizzy in the Sky in both.

Out of the Bernardini mare Collective, Comparative is a full-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Shared Sense. She boasts a lifetime ledger of 14-5-0-3 with $437,995 in earnings.

Rounding out the field is James Wigan and Denford Stud’s Evidencias [post 3, Eric Cancel], a Group 1-winner in her native Brazil. Trained by Christophe Clement for her 10 U.S. efforts, the 6-year-old Drosselmeyer bay won the 1 1/16-mile Obeah in September at Delaware Park and the nine-furlong Listed Turnback the Alarm in November here. She was a last-out third in the nine-furlong Carousel on December 21 at Laurel Park.

The Ladies is slated as Race 2 on Saturday’s nine-race card. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.