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Bell’s the One to Beat

Lothenbach Stables Inc.'s Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) takes on six rivals in Wednesday's GII Honorable Miss H. at Saratoga. The Neil Pessin pupil annexed last September's GI Derby City Distaff by a nose before finishing third behind Gamine (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint in November. Second in Keeneland's GI Madison S. Apr. 3, she was fourth in defense of her Derby City title May 1–again behind the nearly unbeatable Gamine and two other next-out graded scorers. The 5-year-old was last seen taking a tougher-than-average renewal of Churchill's Roxelana S. June 19, and prepped for this with a sharp :47 flat bullet breeze over the Arlington all-weather last Tuesday.

“I'm really not scared of any sprint filly in the country right now, to be honest,” Pessin said. “It's just a question of if she runs her race. If she does, she's going to be tough to beat no matter who shows up. I respect them all, but I don't fear any of them. I'm very confident in my filly's abilities.”

While Bell's the One is a perfect four-for-four and a graded winner at this six-furlong trip, she's likely slightly better going longer and as a late runner is somewhat vulnerable to pace dynamics. Among those who figure to show speed are rail-drawn 'TDN Rising Star' Ain't No Elmers (Goldencents), who found her best foam in a Churchill optional claimer June 17; and Honey I'm Good (Shackleford), a neck winner on Monmouth's Regret S. July 3 over a sloppy track.

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Bell’s The One Heads Field Of Nine For Honorable Miss At Saratoga

Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One, a multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire, leads a talented field of nine in Wednesday's $200,000 Grade 2 Honorable Miss, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Neil Pessin, Bell's the One, who boasts a record of 18-8-3-2, captured the 2020 Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs by a nose over Serengeti Empress. Her graded stakes ledger also includes scores in the 2019 Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and last year's Grade 3 Winning Colors at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The 5-year-old Majesticperfection bay enters from a three-quarter length score in the Roxelana under returning rider Corey Lanerie on June 19 at Churchill.

Bell's the One rated closer to the pace last out in the 6 1/2-furlong Roxelana before popping outside rivals to secure the win.

“I'm trying to get her a little more that way, so we're not so pace dependent,” Pessin said. “In her last race, they didn't go fast early but we weren't far off of it. She was stuck in between horses – there were three across the track – and Corey let her suck back a little bit so she could get to the outside. When she turned for home, she just kicked on. She won by three-quarters, but it was a handy three-quarters.”

Bell's the One launched her current campaign with a narrow loss to Kimari in the Grade 1 Madison on April 3 at Keeneland ahead of a fourth-place finish in her title defense in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill in May.

“Kimari beat us at Keeneland and it was my mare's first out of the year,” Pessin said. “We also got stuck on the inside and didn't get to bounce outside. If we'd got outside, I think we'd have beat her that day.”

Bell's the One breezed a bullet half-mile in :47 flat on July 20 over the Arlington Park synthetic and will arrive in Saratoga on Sunday.

“It was an OK work. She went a little faster in the first part than what I wanted,” Pessin said. “She finished good and did it fairly handily. It didn't take a lot out of her. Fitness-wise, I don't have any issues. It's just a matter of if she handles the shipping and likes the track.”

Lanerie retains the mount from the outermost post 9.

“He knows her well and rode her excellent last time,” Pessin said.

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Godolphin homebred Lake Avenue enters in search of her first graded stakes win since the 2019 Grade 2 Demoiselle in the final start of her 2-year-old campaign.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 4-year-old Tapit chestnut was winless in four starts last year but has enjoyed a resurgence in 2021, posting wins in an optional claimer at Gulfstream in February ahead of a 6 3/4-length score in the Heavenly Prize Invitational in March at the Big A.

Last out, Lake Avenue made the lead at the stretch call of the Grade 3 Bed o' Roses but could not stave off Estilo Talentoso, who prevailed by a neck in the seven-furlong sprint on a sloppy Belmont main track on June 4.

Junior Alvarado will pilot Lake Avenue from post 4.

Dennis Narlinger's graded-stakes-placed Sadie Lady, a 5-year-old New York-bred daughter of Freud, boasts a record of 20-8-1-3 with purse earnings of $406,322.

The speedy mare won the open-company Correction in her seasonal debut at Aqueduct in March ahead of a strong second in the Grade 3 Vagrancy on May 8 at Belmont. Last out, Sadie Lady went gate-to-wire in the six-furlong Dancin Renee for state-breds.

Trainer Rob Atras said Sadie Lady, who breezed a half-mile in :49.26 Friday on the Saratoga main track, may consider waiting for the state-bred Union Avenue Handicap on August 19.

“We breezed her this morning and she went really well. It was just an easy half with a nice little gallop out,” Atras said. “We're probable to run but there's also a New York-bred stake in just over three weeks, so we'll talk it over with the owner.”

Atras said Sadie Lady is at her best on the engine.

“She runs her top race when she can get out front and dictate it a little bit,” Atras said.

Jose Ortiz retains the mount from post 3.

Almost Heaven Stables' Honey I'm Good enters from a neck win in the Regret, contested at six furlongs over a muddy Monmouth Park main track on July 3.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the 5-year-old Shackleford mare was a gate-to-wire winner of the six-furlong Harmony Lodge over muddy going at Belmont last June.

Honey I'm Good will emerge from post 7 under Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Truth Hurts, trained and co-owned by Chad Summers with J Stables, added blinkers and romped to a 5 3/4-length score last out under Luis Saez in the off-the-turf Perfect Sting at one mile over a sloppy and sealed Belmont main track on July 3.

The 4-year-old Ontario-bred daughter of Tonalist tried her luck at longer distances last season, including a third in the 1 1/16-mile Bison City at Woodbine.

Truth Hurts breezed a half-mile in :48.54 on July 20 on the Saratoga main track under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Summers said he is cautiously optimistic after her last-out win.

“I think it was good for her. The first time with blinkers on she was more aggressive,” Summers said. “She came out of the gate good and sat a perfect trip. I'm proud of how she finished up and she galloped out strong. She came out of the race like nothing. I know we'll be a big price on the board, but she's doing so well. Irad came out and breezed her the other day. He liked her and it gives me a lot of confidence going into Wednesday.”

Truth Hurts, who graduated at first asking sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs in December 2019 at the Big A, will shorten up to six furlongs for the first time.

“I think seven [furlongs] is probably her game, but she can go six,” Summers said. “With Sadie Lady and a few of the others with speed in there, I'm hoping we can work out a good trip.”

Rounding out a competitive field are Ain't No Elmers [post 1, Adam Beschizza], Reagan's Edge [post 2, Jose Lezcano], Don't Call Me Mary [post 6, Saez], and Miss Mosaic [post 8, Manny Franco].

The Honorable Miss is slated as Race 9 on Wednesday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Millionaire Bell’s The One Targets Saratoga’s Honorable Miss

Trainer Neil Pessin said Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One, a multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire, will ship to Saratoga for Wednesday's Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

The 5-year-old Majesticperfection bay captured the seven-furlong 2020 Grade 1 Derby City Distaff by a nose over Serengeti Empress, but finished fourth in this year's renewal, a key race that saw the top-four finishers – Gamine [Grade 2 Lady M, Los Alamitos], Sconsin [Grade 3 Winning Colors, Churchill Downs], Estilo Talentoso [Grade 3 Bed o' Roses, Belmont Park] and Bell's the One [Roxelana, Churchill] – win stakes races in their next start.

“She should have been first or second in that race,” Pessin said regarding this year's Derby City Distaff. “She had a bad trip and was too far back in a very slow pace and then came on the inside instead of going outside which she likes better. If she ran the race she should have, she'd have been one-two.”

Bell's the One, who boasts a record of 18-8-3-2, was a close-up fifth in the early stages of the 6 1/2-furlong Roxelana last out before rallying to a three quarter length score in the overnight event on June 19 at Churchill Downs.

Pessin said he asked jockey Corey Lanerie not to lose touch with the field early.

“I told Corey if they go slow she doesn't need to be 10 or 12 [lengths] back. I'm trying to get her a little more that way so we're not so pace dependent,” Pessin said. “In her last race they didn't go fast early but we weren't far off of it. She was stuck in between horses – there were three across the track – and Corey let her suck back a little bit so she could get to the outside. When she turned for home, she just kicked on. She won by three-quarters, but it was a handy three-quarters.”

Pessin said Lanerie will retain the mount in the Honorable Miss, which is expected to include familiar foe, Kimari, who bested Bell's the One in the Grade 1 Madison in April at Keeneland.

Others under consideration for the Honorable Miss include, Don't Call Me Mary (Todd Pletcher), Lake Avenue (Bill Mott) and Pacific Gale (John Kimmel).

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Bell’s the One Is Number One In Roxelana

Bell's the One showed her love for the Twin Spires Saturday in the Roxelana Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 5-year-old mare, trained by Neil Pessin and ridden by Corey Lanerie, went four wide on the race's final turn and ran down Sconsin in the stretch to win the Roxelana by a three-quarters of a length.

In a field of six, Sconsin, who won the Grade 3 Winning Colors Stakes in her previous start, went into the gate as the favorite with Bell's the One as the second choice. At the break, longshot Jungle Juice grabbed a short advantage, but Four Graces and Julien Leparoux took over the lead with Jungle Juice and Sconsin tightly packed behind her. Bell's the One ran fifth in the tightly bunched field, Lanerie moving his mare to the outside as the field entered the final turn. As Sconsin and Tyler Gafflione passed Four Graces to take the lead, Lanerie positioned Bell's the One to Sconsin's outside and set her down for a drive in the stretch. Gafflione moved Sconsin to the rail, but her time at the front was brief as Bell's the One had more than enough left to grab the lead for the good. Sconsin held on to second place with Miss Mosaic third. Four Graces, Shesomajestic, and Jungle Juice rounded out the field.

Find this race's chart here.

The Roxelana is Bell's the One's first win in three starts in 2021. Her previous wins at Churchill Downs include the 2020 G3 Winning Colors and the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff. Sired by Majesticperfection, Bell's the One is out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Street Mate. Bred by Bret Jones, the 5-year-old mare is owned by Lothenbach Stables. She was sold by Brereton Jones to Lothenbach Stables for $155,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Yearling Sale.

Corey Lanerie knew Bell's the One was ready for her race with Sconsin. “Today I let her run a little bit out of the gate because I didn't think the pace would be too fast. Then, I was sort of in the pocket (inside of Sconsin) and I didn't really like my spot because I know she needs to be outside of horses. I took her back from there to make sure I got first run at Sconsin. You could tell she was ready to run a big race and Neil had her ready to go.”

Neil Pessin has his sights set on Breeders' Cup for Bell's the One. “The last four or five days you could tell in her training she was ready to run a big race. She got a much better trip today than in her last start. Now, we'll look to get her ready for the Breeders' Cup. She'll likely run in the (Breeders' Cup) 'Win and You're In' at Keeneland (Grade II, Thoroughbred Club of America). I'm not sure yet if I'll run her once before then or not. We'll wait and see but the goal is the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year.”

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