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Gamine Shaves Over A Second Off Stakes Record, Smashes Competition In Acorn

A $1.8 million 2-year-old purchase, Michael Lund Peterson's Gamine made her graded stakes debut an impressive one in Saturday's Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park. The 3-year-old Into Mischief filly ran her opposition off their feet to win by over 15 lengths, delivering for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey John Velazquez as the 1-2 favorite.

Gamine's final time for the one-mile trip over a fast main track was a sparkling 1:32.55, shaving more than a second off the previous stakes record of 1:33.58, set last year by Guarana.

Breaking from the inside gate in the field of seven, Gamine went straight to the lead under Velazquez. She began to separate herself from the field after a first quarter in 22.48 seconds, pulling away by a length and a half to mark the half-mile in :45.28. Water White and Lucrezia attempted to go with her around the turn, but nearing the head of the lane Gamine had a three-length lead.

All alone after six furlongs in 1:09.33, Gamine continued to pull at the bridle and increase the distance between herself and her rivals down the stretch. By the wire, she was about 15 lengths ahead of Pleasant Orb in second, while Water White finished third. Lucrezia faded to fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Grace Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, Gamine is out of the stakes-placed Kafwain mare Peggy Jane. With one winner from the mare's first two foals, Gamine sold for $220,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Bobby Dodd prepared the filly for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old in training sale, when her :10 flat breeze and impressive physical commanded a final bid of $1.8 million.

The filly easily broke her maiden at first asking at Santa Anita, winning by 6 1/4 lengths, before showing her determination in her second start to win an allowance race at Oaklawn Park. In that 1 1/16-mile contest, Gamine set the pace and dug in to defeat the well-regarded Speech (next-out second in the Santa Anita Oaks) by a neck on the wire.

Now undefeated through three career starts, Gamine boasts earnings of nearly $250,000.

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American Pharoah Filly Sweet Melania Leads Wonder Again Field Gate-To-Wire

Robert E. and Lawana L. Low's Sweet Melania made all the running with a sharp seasonal debut to capture Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Wonder Again, a one-mile event for sophomore fillies on the Widener turf course at Belmont Park.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the American Pharoah chestnut made the grade in October with a similarly striking performance in the Grade 2 Jessamine at Keeneland ahead of a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November.

With regular pilot Jose Ortiz up, Sweet Melania broke alertly and immediately took command through an opening quarter-mile in 24.15 seconds with Antoinette pinned to her flank.

Sweet Melania maintained her position as the half eclipsed in 47.62, with Antoinette continuing to pester and Selflessly beginning a three-wide move around rivals. Ortiz and Sweet Melania cut the corner turning for home and continued to open up on her competition through a swift three-quarters in 1:10.99 en route to a dominant 1 ½-length score. She covered the mile in 1:34.23 on the firm Widener turf.

Pletcher said he was confident in Ortiz finding the right way to utilize Sweet Melania's abundant speed.

“Analyzing the race beforehand, it looked as though she had a pace advantage,” said Pletcher. “We weren't going to put her on the lead, we felt that she would naturally get herself there. Jose did a nice job of hashing it out and she responded well.”

Ortiz said he was impressed by how Sweet Melania finished up the winning effort.

“She relaxed well and we started picking it up little-by-little. At the three-sixteenths pole, she gave me a nice kick. She's a nice filly,” said Ortiz, who captured this event last year with Cambier Parc.

Highland Glory, under Manny Franco, made a late run to earn place, a half-length in front of Antoinette. Speaktomeofsummer and Selflessly rounded out the order of finish.

“The pace was slower than I expected. I thought there was going to be more pace, but it is what it is,” said Franco. “She ran good. I like her going further. The longer, the better for her. If you saw the gallop out, she passed everybody.”

Bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables, the $600,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the stakes-winning Discreet Cat mare Sweet N Discreet.

Sweet Melania banked $82,500 in victory while improving her record to 3-1-3 from seven starts. Sent to post as the 6-5 mutuel favorite, she returned $4.60 for a $2 win bet.

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Decorated Invader Shows New Dimension Winning Pennine Ridge

The Christophe Clement-trained Decorated Invader continued his steady ascent to the top of the 3-year-old turf division with an authoritative 4 ¾-length victory over five rivals in the Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The sixth running of the Pennine Ridge, contested at a mile on Belmont's Widener turf course, was carded as the second of six graded stakes on the loaded 12-race Belmont Stakes day program.

A son of Declaration of War, Decorated Invader showed a good deal of promise as a 2-year-old, including a Grade 1 win in the Summer Stakes at Woodbine and a fast-closing fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf to close out the year, but took noticeable steps forward as a sophomore. The bay colt came from far back to win the Cutler Bay by 1 ¼ lengths in his 2020 debut in May at Gulfstream Park and then showed a completely new dimension in the Pennine Ridge.

Breaking from the rail with Joel Rosario aboard, Decorated Invader put himself just off the early pace set by Proven Strategies. As the pacesetter ambled along through leisurely splits of 23.86 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, 47.50 for the half, and three-quarters 1:10.61 for three-quarters over firm turf, Decorated Invader tracked him intently in third while covered.

Proven Strategies angled out a bit around the far turn, allowing Rosario and Decorated Invader to quickly seize the opportunity, surging through the vacated inside path and vying for the lead as the field turned for home. The pair soon wrested control away from the frontrunner, and from there they opened up decisively, bounding down the stretch to complete the distance in a snappy 1:33.66.

“He's very classy,” Rosario said. “The pace was OK, but not too fast. He was there for me and so relaxed, so I just let him be there [closer up] because it looked like there was no pace up front. I made a move before the turn and I saw the horse inside [Proven Strategies] come off the rail a little bit, go in and out, and I wasn't sure what he was doing. I let him go inside and started working from there.”

Decorated Invader, owned in partnership by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, bumped his bankroll to $370,535 with the victory. As the odds-on favorite, he returned $3.20 on a $2 win wager.

Clement was content to bask in the victory and marvel at his talented 3-year-old.

“I've always liked him since Day 1 and I think he's been a tremendous horse since the beginning,” said Clement. “He's been a top-class horse even last year. He was very unlucky in the Breeders' Cup. He won a Grade 1 in Canada. He won at Gulfstream this year. He won one today and I think he's good enough to do a mile, a mile and a quarter. I could be wrong, but I think he'll stay.”

Proven Strategies held well for second, finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of third-place finisher Mr. Kringle, who closed from the back of the compact field to nab blacktype. Vanzzy, Famished, and Venezuelan Hug completed the order of finish. Maroon Maniac was scratched.

Saturday's stakes action at Belmont Park will culminate with the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes in Race 10 at 5:42 p.m. Eastern. The American Classic, contested as the first leg of the Triple Crown this year, will see a 10-horse field led by morning-line favorite Tiz the Law looking to become the first New York-bred to win the Belmont since 1882. NBC will have live coverage starting at 2:45 p.m.

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Gamine Dazzles in Acorn, Oleksandra Charges Late to Jaipur Victory

When Gamine was entered into a maiden special weight at Santa Anita Park in March, people paid attention. The 3-year-old Into Mischief filly trained by Bob Baffert was purchased by Michael Lund Peterson for $1.8 million dollars and one could argue she has been a star from the start.