The queen of the intermountain region’s younger set, Sensual Lady remained
undefeated with a convincing victory in the May 24, $117,881 Bitterroot Futurity
(RG2) at Les Bois Park.Make no mistake about it, Sensual Lady has been royalty since Day 1. Her
four-race win streak includes a one-length win in the Dixie Downs Futurity in
Utah, the home state of her owner, Brad Hart, and trainer, Mark Skeen.
“She’s won all of her races easily,” said Skeen, who lives in Ogden and sent
Lesley Joyner’s Memories To Keep out to win the 2001 Bitterroot Futurity.
“Nothing has even come close to her. She’s won every one of her races by
daylight.”
One of 104 stakes winners from 13 crops sired by Chicks Beduino, Sensual Lady
began her career on April 5 with a three-quarter length victory in the third of
seven Dixie Downs Futurity trials. In the $23,275 final two weeks later, the
filly covered 300 yards in :15.58, earning a 98 speed index and missing the
track record by 7/100ths of a second. The clocking was the second-fastest in the
seven-year history of the stakes.
Shipping to Idaho, Sensual Lady didn’t miss a beat, as she won her 350-yard
Bitterroot trial in :17.88 and recorded the quickest qualifying time.
“She’s done extremely well,” said Hart. “Honestly, sometimes I just look at
her in awe. Of all the horses I’ve been associated with, to have one who acts
like she does – especially as a 2-year-old – is pretty impressive.
“You send one out after another, and you just never know when you’re going to
have one this good,” he added.
Hart, who lives in the Ogden suburb of Farr West with his wife, Robin, and
their son Cody, 16, and daughter Cassidy, 9, has been associated with a lot of
good horses – including several who have been successful outside the
Intermountain region. He raised
Rare News, a colt by all-time leading sire
First
Down Dash, who earned $41,839 from 18 races and was a finalist in the 2001
Kindergarten (G1) and Governor’s Cup (RG1) futurities at Los Alamitos.
And Hart was also instrumental in the early development of Paddy Chick, a
Chicks Beduino filly who ran third in Sassy Smith’s 2001 PCQHRA Breeders’
Futurity (G1).
A homebred, Sensual Lady is one of two starters produced by No Policy Signed,
a 13-year-old stakes-placed daughter of The Signature. Hart bought No Policy
Signed, a half sister to graded-stakes winners Policy Tacs and Chickie Cherry
Cola, in 1998 from his friend and neighbor Kevin Glasmann.
“She was in foal to Dash Thru Traffic when we bought her,” said Hart, who
owns a heating and air conditioning company in Ogden. “We decided to eventually
breed her to Chicks Beduino because there have been several good runners from
that mare line – Policy Tacs, Chickie Cherry Cola, and a horse that ran second
to (champion) Separatist when he was a 3-year-old, (champion) Chicks First
Policy.”
Sensual Lady’s :17.499 clocking in the Bitterroot final broke the 350-yard
stakes record established in 1997 by Royal N Perfect. That filly proceeded to
become a Grade 1 winner and a finalist in the sport’s richest and most
prestigious race, the All American Futurity (G1).
Sensual Lady’s margin of victory was one length over West Coast Okie. BF
Eyesapowerhouse, Kipas Special, Classy Make N Money, Noble Art, This Chicks
Passin, Meared, Jumpin Frijoles and Rhythm N Blues DJ completed the order of
finish.
“I think this filly has the potential to do what Royal N Perfect did,” said
Hart. “She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do so far, but I think we’re
going to just keep her at our ranch and give her a break.
“We’ve never had any problems with her,” he added. “She’s been 100-percent
sound since Day 1, and I think that’s what has contributed to her success.”
Sensual Lady is expected to return to the races in September for the PCQHRA
Breeders’ Futurity trials at Los Alamitos. The filly is also paid into the Grade
1 Golden State and Los Alamitos Million futurities.
“She’s got some tough races ahead of her after she gets to California,” said
Hart. “I think she’s earned a break.”
