(Houston, Texas - Thursday, January 22, 2026) - Dual Grade I winner La Cara headlines the $300,000 Grade III Houston Ladies Classic on Saturday, January 24 at Sam Houston Race Park. The daughter of Street Sense has been idle since the Grade I Cotillion at Parx in September, but has trained forwardly of late at Oaklawn Park for Hall of Famer Mark Casse.

“She has been on our ‘A-team’ from day one,” Casse said. “She’s training very well and should not need a race.”

La Cara was a Grade II winner as a two year-old for Casse, then earned a start in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks in 2025 after winning the Grade I Ashland at Keeneland. She subsequently earned another Grade I victory in the Acorn during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, conducted in 2025 at Saratoga Race Course. While she has earned her Grade I victories on the lead, Casse said they’d like to see her settle in the early stages of the Houston Ladies Classic. La Cara races for Tracy Farmer and Cristian Torres will be in to ride.

Among the challengers to La Cara will be two-time stakes winner Standoutsensation, who has blossomed in the last 8 months for veteran trainer Tom Amoss. Claimed for $100,000 as a two year-old, it took Standoutsensation 14 starts for Amoss before she visited the winner’s circle. She is now on a four-race winning streak since a score at Saratoga Race Course against allowance company in July. Her two most recent victories have come in the Turnback the Alarm at Aqueduct and the Pippin at Oaklawn Park.

“She has learned how to win,” Amoss said. “Confidence is probably as good a weapon as a horse can have and she has become prolific since last summer.”

Amoss is keenly aware of La Cara’s early speed, but expects Standoutsensation to have a forward position.

“We know what La Cara is going to do, she can get very bold on the lead,” he said. “We’d prefer for her to get softened up along the way.”

Amoss has regularly shipped horses into Houston and won last year’s Bara Lass as part of the Houston Racing Festival with Modo. He had a string of runners at Sam Houston Race Park during the track’s inaugural meet in 1994. Standoutsensation will be ridden by Mirco Demuro, who will be riding at Sam Houston Race Park for the first time. She is owned by Joel Politi..

When La Cara won the Ashland, she held off Take Charge Milady, who hails from the barn of Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Kenny McPeek. She will make her seasonal debut in the Houston Ladies Classic. McPeek has previously won the Maxxam Gold Cup at Sam Houston Race Park and won the Great State Challenge Distaff in 2002 with Take Charge Lady, who happens to be the dam of Take Charge Milady’s sire, Take Charge Indy.

“It’s amazing how much Take Charge Milady looks like her [Take Charge Lady],” McPeek said. “She’s doing well after hitting a wall in 2025 and has to prove whether she is of this caliber in 2026.”

Take Charge Milady is owned by James Ball, Magdalena Racing and Kenneth Rhodes. Emmanuel Esquivel has the riding assignment.

Texas-bred standout Too Much Kiki will stretch out in distance for the Houston Ladies Classic. A five-time winner over Sam Houston’s Brazos River sand, Too Much Kiki enters off consecutive stakes wins, including an open company score in November at Mahoning Valley Race Course. She took the Mahoning Distaff that afternoon and will now try to win around two turns for the first time.

“This is a great opportunity for us to get a line on where she stacks up against the best fillies, Calhoun said. “We see it as a great time to find out if going long is a viable option.”

Too Much Kiki is owned by Mansfield Racing and five-time Sam Houston Race Park leading jockey Stewart Elliott will be in the irons.

Steve Asmussen is the all-time winningest trainer in the country and at Sam Houston Race Park. He will bid for a 5th straight win in the Houston Ladies Classic with Perfect Shot, a 20-1 outsider bidding to rebound from a 5th place finish in the She’s All In at Remington Park.

Erik Asmussen has the riding assignment for the Whisper Hill Farm color bearer.

Queen Azteca, Moonlight Gambler and Yes It Tiz round out the field.