Usha

Usha was purchased as a 2-year-old for $600,000 in April 2024 by the ownership group of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Doug Weitman and sent to their preferred trainer Bob Baffert to start her racing career that summer. She finished third in her first three starts, all at Del Mar, and then second when shipped to New York and briefly switched to trainer John Terranova, ending her juvenile campaign still a maiden.

The Tiz the Law filly did not make her 3-year-old debut until July 27, 2025, back at Del Mar with Baffert, and she immediately showed signs of maturing into a stakes-caliber racehorse by posting an 11 ½-length win in a 6 ½-furlong dirt sprint. Usha followed that up with another blowout win in an allowance race at the same distance.

Next her connections shipped her to Keeneland for her to make her stakes debut in the Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run Stakes held at seven furlongs. Usha dueled for the early lead in the Raven Run but faded to finish seventh in a field of 10 fillies.

Usha then returned to California for a final 2025 start in the seven-furlong Grade 1 La Brea Stakes Presented by Don Julio where she unleashed a career-best performance, settling off the early pace and taking over at will in early stretch to win by a widening 5 ¼ lengths.

Usha became a stakes winner again as a 4-year-old with another win in Kentucky in the Grade 3 $250,000 Winning Colors Stakes going six furlongs at Churchill Downs. Sent off as the 2.44-1 second choice in a field of seven fillies and mares in the Winning Colors, Usha pressed the early pace, battled for the lead, and fought hard to hold off runner-up Zeitlos by a head.

Usha earned another stakes win at Churchill Downs in 2026 when she scored in the $300,000 Open Mind Stakes going six furlongs on the mian track.

New York-bred Usha is out of the winning and stakes-placed Leroidesanimaux mare Animal Appeal.