Stronach Stables’ homebred Sugar Swirl has taken everything trainer Brian Lynch has thrown at her, including four back-to-back stakes races – three of them graded. Now the 5-year-old daughter of Touch Gold  seeks her first grade I victory against the likes of Hystericalady, Baroness Thatcher, and Intangaroo in the $300,000 Humana Distaff Stakes (gr. I).

The seven-furlong Humana Distaff is race eight on the May 3 12-race card, the highlight of which is the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

Sugar Swirl won the March 29 Shirley Jones Handicap (gr. II) in her last start, much the best over runner-up Baroness Thatcher by 5 ½ lengths. She preceded that score with an 8 ¾-length victory in the Feb. 17 Hurricane Bertie Handicap (gr. III), after winning the Jan 13 First Lady Handicap (gr. III) by 2 ½ lengths. Prior to that start, she was trained by Robert Frankel and won the Very Subtle stakes at Churchill Downs to start her winning streak. Javier Castellano will ride.

Hystericalady also comes off a solid win, a 3 ½-length frontrunning score in the March 9 Azeri Stakes (gr. III) for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and owner Rancho San Miguel. The daughter of Distorted Humor  has shown early speed in all of her best races, and figures to set or press the pace under jockey Rafael Bejarano.  

The 124-pound highweight in the field is Tom Grether Farms’ Intangaroo, whose recent third-place finish in the Las Flores Handicap (gr. III) came just a half-length behind Tiz Elemental and Glorified. A daughter of Orientate  , she had back-to-back scores for trainer Gary Sherlock in the Santa Monica Handicap (gr. I) and an allowance race at Santa Anita. She has never raced off a synthetic surface.

Zayat Stables’ Baroness Thatcher was second to Sugar Swirl in the Shirley Jones and hasn’t won a race since scoring in the Santa Ysabel Stakes (gr. III) in January of 2007. However, the Orientate   filly has consistently figured among the top four in high-quality stakes races, including a nose loss in last year’s Ballerina Stakes (gr. I), a third-place finish in the Darley Test Stakes (gr. I), and a fourth-place effort in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I).

$300,000-added Humana Distaff (gr. I, race 8, approximate post 3:57 p.m.), seven furlongs for older fillies and mares, dirt