Quietside rounding back into form for $135K Ladies
At 0h03, on January 16, 2026 • By Aqueduct
Shortleaf Stable’s dual Grade 1-placed Kentucky homebred Quietside will look to make a winning 4-year-old debut in Saturday’s $135,000 Ladies, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trainer John Ortiz posted an 8-for-16 record at the Aqueduct fall meet including a trio of stakes victories, scoring with New York-bred Doc Sullivan in the state-bred Alex M. Robb and NYSSS Thunder Rumble, as well as with Braverthanubelieve in the NYSSS Fifth Avenue.
Quietside enters from a four-length second to Fully Subscribed in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Comely on December 7 here. The Malibu Moon dark bay stalked from fourth position early and ran on to edge returning rival Ourdaydreaminggirl out of place-honors by a nose.
Quietside [post 7, Jose Lezcano, 123 pounds] bounced back from an eighth in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Raven Run in October at Keeneland when making her first start since a sixth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs. Prior to the Oaks, she had hit the board in all seven starts.
“She got back on track last out,” said Ortiz. “We gave her a nice break after the Oaks. We prepared her for the Raven Run, which I guess was a little too ambitious on my part to go in a Grade 2 at Keeneland sprinting her. That was a tough race, but it got her fitter, and she’s trained phenomenally ever since.”
Quietside breezed a bullet half-mile in 47 seconds flat on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track, fastest-of-98 workers at the distance.
