Racing


Cat Daddys Lil Girl Repeats With Dominating Performance in Lou Wooten & Sydney Valentini Handicap
Grade 2 winner Muy Peligrosito, under jockey Adrian Ramos, setting the fastest qualifying time for the Grade 3 $172,200 West Texas Derby Friday afternoon at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino.

© Coady Photography
Cat Daddys Lil Girl Repeats With Dominating Performance in Lou Wooten & Sydney Valentini Handicap

SUNLAND PARK, NM—JANUARY 15, 2022—Coming off a disappointing performance in the Champion of Champions(G1) last month Cat Daddys Lil Girl returned to win column on Saturday when she defeated a full field in the $100,000 Lou Wooten & Sydney Valentini Handicap(RG2) at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

Under jockey Noe Garcia, Jr., Cat Daddys Lil Girl cruised a wire-to-wire 1-¼ length win over Mi Moonflash. Off as the post-time favorite, the daughter of leading New Mexico sire Big Daddy Cartel completed the 400 yards in :19.367 seconds, equaling a 102 speed index into a 3 mph headwind.

Trainer Wesley Giles conditions the 6-year-old mare for owner-breeders Jimmy Negrete and Jimmy Vazquez. Out of the Man On The Move mare Girlonthego, Cat Daddys Lil Girl was a leading contender for Champion Aged mare last season.

The winning connections of Republic Anne accept the Turf Paradise Quarter Horse Derby stakes trophy.
© Coady Photography
She has compiled a (23) 10-6-2 record. The $60,000 Wooten-Valentini winners' purse boosted the Grade 1 winning mare's lifetime earnings mark to $554,408.

This is the second time Cat Daddys Lil Girl has won the Wooten and Valentini Handicap. She won the event in 2020 under jockey Mauro Salcedo. Since that time, she's earned multiple open stakes wins at Remington Park, where she won the Easy Date Stakes last April before winning the Grade 1 Junos Request Stakes on May 29.

Runner-up Mi Moonflash, a graded stakes-placed daughter of champion sire First Moonflash picked up $20,000 for her second-place effort. Trainer Todd Fincher sent out the 4-year-old mare for owner-breeders Pierre and Leslie Amestoy, Jr. and Roger Beasley. Alfredo Sigala rode the brown mare out of Mi Camila, a thoroughbred daughter of Southern Halo. She was banked $154,411, winning or placing 11 of 16 career starts.

Chicky Chicky Kai finished half-a-length back to earn $10,000 for third. Larry Chavez trains the 4-year-old Jess A Chicks daughter for owner Mike Parker. Sergio Becerra, Jr., had the riding call aboard the stakes winning filly from the Brookstone Bay mare Wahene Kai. Coming off a win in the New Mexico Fillies and Mares Championship in her last start, Chicky Chicky Kai was bred by Dirk Jones and has earned $202,750.

Sent off at odds of 1.40-to-1, Cat Daddys Lil Girl returned $4.80 to her winning backers.Mi Moonflash, ridden by Alfredo Sigala, finished second, completing the $2 exacta which returned $22.20.

Fireball Flash, A Flashin Blue, Crown N Royal Gal, Jess To Reel, Hearts Mystic, Famous Julia and Amandas Flashy completed the field.

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Live racing resumes at Sunland Park on Sunday with a first post time of 12:25 p.m. (MDT).

The featured event of the Sunday card is the $100,000 La Senora Stakes, with a field of 10 New Mexico-bred 3-year-old fillies racing 6 furlongs. Bella Dona, owned by Robert & Del Rae Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey and trained by Simon Buechler, is the 3-to-1 morning line favorite. A three-time stakes winner and earner of more than $255,000 after just six career starts, Bella Dona will break from post three in the La Senora under jockey Lindey Wade.

Last fall, Bella Dona posted wins in the New Mexico State Fair Futurity at Albuquerque Downs and the New Mexico Cup Lassie Stakes at Zia Park. Prior to that, the daughter of Attila's Storm also captured the Rio Grande Senorita Futurity last summer at Ruidoso Downs.

Post time for the La Senora Stakes, the eighth race on the card, is scheduled for 3:31 p.m. local time.

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The 2021-22 racing season, which features both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, runs from December 31 through April 3. Live racing is traditionally offered four days each week on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Year-round Simulcast wagering is also available on racetracks across the country.