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Bell’s The One Gives Pessin First Saratoga Winner In Wednesday’s Honorable Miss

Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One, favored at odds of 4-5, made her signature late run under jockey Corey Lanerie to win Wednesday's Grade 2 Honorable Miss Stakes. The 5-year-old daughter of Majesticperfection was trainer Neil Pessin's first starter at Saratoga, and ran six furlongs over the fast main track in 1:09.83. Though the winning margin was only a neck, Bell's the One always appeared to have the measure of her 3-1 rival Lake Avenue and had something left in reserve at the wire.

Bell's the One broke well from the outside post, but was quickly left at the rear of the field as the frontrunners raced up the Saratoga backstretch. Ain't No Elmers grabbed the early lead over Honey I'm Good, setting fractions of :23.80 and :45.85, while Lanerie patiently allowed Bell's the One to find her stride.

Lake Avenue was behind a wall of horses turning for home so jockey Junior Alvarado angled her out to the center of the course. Lanerie tracked that move and went wider still, drafting Bell's the One off Lake Avenue's hip as they geared up for the final three-sixteenths of a mile.

When the two sprinters matched strides at the eighth pole, Lanerie gave Bell's the One her cue to hit her next gear. The mare responded willingly, pulling ahead by a neck at the finish while appearing to have something left in the tank after the finish. Lake Avenue had to settle for second after a game effort, and it was several lengths back to pacesetter Ain't No Elmers. Truth Hurts filled out the superfecta.

“I just let her run her race and when she got on her left lead on the turn, she said 'it's time to go' and started making up ground so easy,” said Lanerie. “The four-horse [runner-up Lake Avenue] actually put in more of a fight than I expected. I thought when I got to her, I was going to run away. But she wouldn't go away for a while; we were running home. This was a good race.

“She ran her own race today and I let her do it. It can get kind of scary at times, especially here at Saratoga. It's hard to win here.”

“They didn't go very fast,” said Pessin. “They went 22 and four for the first quarter but she just took herself back and Corey didn't rush her, so I said we'll see what happens from there and she made her run like she usually does. It's been a hard track to close on today. I think she's the only one that deep-closed any at all, but I thought she was also the best horse in the race coming in, and I feel that way coming out.”

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Bell's the One is out of the winning Street Cry mare Street Mate, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed, Grade 2 winner Tap Day (Pleasant Tap). As a yearling, Bell's the One commanded $155,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale. She won her first four starts, and got her first top-level win in the 2020 edition of the G1 Derby City Distaff before running third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

“She's about as high-class a filly as you want,” said Pessin. “She gives it her all every time she runs. Hopefully, now she'll get the accolades she deserves and people won't put her on the back burner when they talk about the sprint fillies.

“I don't get real high or low,” Pessin added. “I was very happy that she won, but I was happier for her than for me just because people never really give her the credit she deserves. It's nice to win a race like this at Saratoga and maybe people will start to put her up in the top echelon now.

Pessin said the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland Oct. 9 – a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race for the Filly & Mare Sprint division – will most likely be Bell's the One's next start. “It's a 'Win and You're In' and then we'll go to the Breeders' Cup from there,” he said.

The Honorable Miss is the second win in a row for Bell's the One, and improves her overall record to nine wins from 19 starts for earnings of $1.13 million.

“She's the best horse I've ever had, and I've been training for almost 40 years,” said Pessin. “She's about as special as they come to me. I've got one other filly that I had in her category, Eden Prairie, that didn't do the races that this mare's won but she was all heart and tried every time. They're the two favorite horses I've ever had.”

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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.

“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.”

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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Estilo Talentoso Splashes Home On Top In Bed O’ Roses

Medallion Racing, Barry Fowler, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Little Red Feather Racing, and BlackRidge Stables' Estilo Talentoso took advantage of her outside draw to capture Friday's Grade 3, $300,000 Bed o' Roses Stakes at Belmont Park, defeating Lake Avenue by a neck on the wire. Following a weather delay when a deluge hit the Elmont, NY track, the 4-year-old daughter of Maclean's Music splashed over the sloppy, sealed main track to cover seven furlongs in 1:22.96 under Javier Castellano.

Estilo Talentoso marks the first graded stakes winner for trainer Juan Arriagada, and was off as the 5-2 second choice in the field of six.

“I feel like I'm blessed,” Arriagada said. “To be in Belmont today and to win with her, it's one of the more beautiful things that could happen in my life right now. I appreciate the owners giving me the opportunity.”

Race-favorite Victim of Love (9-5) broke on top, as expected, and was pressured by Pacific Gale through fractions of :22.90 and :45.87. Bayerness and Lake Avenue were also close to the pace early. Castellano kept Estilo Talentoso out in the clear going in the center of the course, though at the back of the compact field down the backstretch.

Lake Avenue got a perfect rail trip to challenge for the lead at the head of the lane, but Castellano had already moved Estilo Talentoso into contention while staying widest of all. Lake Avenue grabbed a brief advantage while Bayerness made a run up the rail, but Estilo Talentoso was able to get her neck in front in the final sixteenth of a mile.

“It went well,” Castellano said. “That's what I was looking for today. Everything worked out perfect, the way it was set up. The two speed horses [went to the front] and I tried to keep track of the third horse, outside, because there seemed to be a lot of puddles on the rail, but my horse helped me to handle the situation very well. When I asked her, she responded very well and did it very well.”

Lake Avenue had to settle for second, while Bayerness checked in third. Pacific Gale was fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Mile High Bloodstock, Estilo Talentoso is out of the unraced Afleet Alex mare Bazinga Baby. A $77,000 yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall sale, the filly later brought just $15,000 when selected by Arriagada at the OBS June sale. Estilo Talentoso began her career with four straight second-place finishes, and finally broke her maiden in her sixth start. She was stakes placed next out, and won the Escena Stakes at Gulfstream in August of her sophomore season. Since then Estilo Talentoso has twice hit the board in Grade 1 company, and the Bed o' Roses improves her overall record to 3-8-3 from 14 starts for earnings of over $430,000.

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Vault Wins Ruffian With Powerful Stretch Rally

Vault capitalized on a patient ride by jockey Joel Rosario, rallying from last of six older fillies and mares to overtake Water White from the outside in deep stretch before powering home a 1 3/4-length winner in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian going a one-turn mile at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Vault, a Pennsylvania bred trained by Brad Cox making just her second career graded stakes start, was unhurried breaking from the inside post, content to let Gibberish lead the field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.57 seconds and the half in 47.24 over the fast main track.

Taking back under Rosario, Vault saved ground entering the turn as 6-5 favorite Lake Avenue temporarily took command over Water White. Nearing the top of the stretch, Rosario tipped out his charge, as Gibberish and Water White were kept to the inside and Lake Avenue pressed on from the outside.

Vault found a seam between Lake Avenue and Water White, splitting the contenders in surging to the front. Water White, encouraged by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., gamely pursued Vault, but the 5-year-old Jump Start mare pulled away in a final time of 1:35.81 to notch her second consecutive win.

“She was a little slow out of there,” Rosario said. “Brad said to let her be comfortable where she was and come with a run and she did. She was pretty amazing.

“I was trying to stay inside, keep away from the dirt [kick back] and save some ground,” he added. “It looked like maybe I could go through inside, but then maybe not. So, I looked to go in between or maybe outside. When they split, I just went right in the middle [inside of Lake Avenue]. It was perfect.”

Owned by Kueber Racing, Barlar, Madaket Stables and Little Red Feather Racing, Vault entered off her first win of her campaign with a 1 3/4-length score against allowance company going 1 1/16 miles on March 27 at Oaklawn Park.

Her first foray over Belmont's Big Sandy was just her second career stakes appearance and first since a sixth-place effort in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher in July at Monmouth Park. She shipped in from her base at Churchill Downs and impressed her connections in her New York debut.

“They had her down in Kentucky and it took us a while to figure her out, but now it looks like we got the wheels spinning finally and she showed it today,” said Dustin Dugas, assistant to Cox. “The guys in Kentucky had her ready to roll. I'll talk to Brad and let him decide where we go next. He'll sit down with the partners and figure out a game plan from there.”

Vault improved to 7-6-2 in 21 career starts. She returned $8.80 on a $2 win wager.

EV Racing Stable's Water White, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, bested Our Super Freak by a length for second.

“I got a perfect trip,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “She got through on the inside and did everything right. We just got beat today. I was happy with it.”

Lake Avenue, Saguaro Row and Gibberish completed the order of finish that saw a finish of 1-thorugh-6 in program numerical order.

The 45th running of the Ruffian is named for the five-time Grade 1-winner and 1976 Hall of Fame inductee who was trained by Frank Whiteley, Jr. Ruffian, the 1974 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly and 1975 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly, broke down in a match race against Kentucky Derby-winner Foolish Pleasure in 1975. She is buried in the Belmont infield.

Live racing at Belmont resumes Thursday with a nine-race card that features a 3:05 p.m. Eastern first post.

Starting on May 1, Belmont Park re-opened to a limited number of spectators. All admission must be purchased in advance at nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

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