LADY Blue, the Wayne DaCosta-conditioned chestnut filly, opened her Classic campaign with a fair enough performance in the 25th running of the $1.1 million Hotline Stakes (three-year-old fillies) over 6 furlongs at Caymanas Park on Saturday last (February 23, 2019).

Lady Blue made all the running, destroying rivals by seven lengths. Lady Blue stopped the clock in 1:13.2 after splits of 23.0 and 46.0.

The following is an analysis of the outcome of the Hotline Stakes 2019.

FIRST: Lady Blue ( Blue Pepsi Lodge – The Vibes Lady) – It was Lady Blue’s first run for the season after placing second to the talented Corazon in the Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy (7 furlongs) in November 2018. This pipe-opener was used by her connections to assess her progress at three and Lady Blue responded well enough to ignite interest. Running from the number one post in the seven-horse field, Lady Blue shot into the early lead under the guidance of jockey Omar Walker and held it comfortably for the first furlong over Enedina, Special Counsel and stable companion Princess Annie. Then after a brief challenge from Enedina, Lady Blue held her gallop well and then went away for an unperturbed trophy win.

SECOND: Princess Lauren ( Soul Warrior – Lipstick Lily) – Princess Lauren (Dane Dawkins), who walked out of the starting gates, came on strong on the inside rails for second. This filly has developed the bad habit of starting badly and if she is to have an effect in the future, this problem has to be solved quickly. Truth be told; however, Princess Lauren this time was somewhat hampered at the start by a stumbling stablemate Casual Drink.

THIRD: Casual Drink ( Casual Trick – Zacapa) – Was not with the early pace and made some sort of headway in the straight. It is obvious that Casual Drink after promising much based on her first run in September of last year, has been hampered by injuries and needs more time to find herself. It should be noted that in the Hotline, Casual Drink stumbled badly when the gates opened and effectively lost all chances of winning. Do not write off Casual Drink as yet.

FOURTH: Princess Annie ( Northern Giant – Millennium) – Racing for the first time at three after some promising runs as a two-year-old, Princess Annie was never a factor and needs more races to be at her best. With this run under her girth, Princess Annie can only progress forward.

FIFTH: Enedina ( Film Director – Yaella) – Showed up with the early leaders and then backed off.

SIXTH: Si Me Now ( Forest Danger – Quiet Giant) – Was never a winning factor.

SEVENTH: Special Counsel ( Silent Valor – Crucial Cat) – Tried her luck with the early leaders then pulled out.

TRAINER’S COMMENTS—“When Lady Blue ran last year, she came out of the race lame and we couldn’t find out where she was lame and so we rested her for a couple of months. It was a good performance by Lady Blue considering there was a strong breeze blowing down the straight and she wasn’t 100 per cent fit for this race but she came home well and we are expecting better from her the next time.”

When asked about her participation in the upcoming Classic races with the 1000 Guineas scheduled for April 13, DaCosta said: “First thing, we have to see if she stays. Lady Blue is bred to sprint and so let’s see if she stays. She will probably race next in the Thornbird Stakes which is next month, March 16, over seven furlongs.”