Dust and Diamonds tracked the early pacesetter in
second, took command straightening for home, and held sway in the stretch to prevail
by 1 ¼ lengths in the Grade 2, $200,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap on Saturday at
Belmont Park.
Content to follow Roman Treasure through an opening quarter-mile in
21.82 seconds and a half in 44.49, Dust and Diamonds engaged and quickly
dispatched the pacesetter at the quarter pole and was never threatened as Judy
the Beauty chased her to the wire.
“She broke very sharp, as usual, and she was very relaxed the
first quarter,” said winning jockey Julien Leparoux. “Then she just
took me into the race and finished up strong.”
The final time of 1:14.71 for 6 ½ furlongs established a stakes record,
with Dust and Diamonds returning $19.60 for a $2 win wager as the 8-1 fifth
choice.
The Gallant Bloom marked the third straight win for Dust and Diamonds,
who took an optional claimer by 4 ½ lengths on March 24 at Oaklawn Park and the
Dashing Beauty Stakes by 5 ¾ lengths on July 21 at Delaware Park.
Dust and Diamonds’ victory in the Gallant Bloom, a Breeders’
Cup “Win and You’re In” race, guarantees her a spot in the
starting gate for the Filly & Mare Sprint on November 2 at Santa Anita.
“We’ve spent a lot of time with her, and she’s done
really well and blossomed here,” said Toby Sheets, assistant to trainer
Steve Asmussen. “[Asmussen and I] haven’t discussed [plans beyond
this race]; we were just focusing on this race and this moment. We’ll see
how she comes out of it and go from there.”
Dust and Diamonds, a 4-year-old, is 5-0-4 in nine starts and has earned
$256,260, including $120,000 for her Gallant Bloom victory. The daughter of
Vindication is a Padua Stables homebred.
Musical Romance, the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
winner and reigning Champion Female Sprinter, finished 4 ½ lengths behind the
winner and one length in front of fourth-place finisher and 6-5 favorite
Turbulent Descent.
“Nobody made up any ground, and I kind of had to use her a little
earlier than I wanted to,” said Turbulent Descent’s rider, Hall of
Famer John Velazquez. “She came up with nothing, though. A little too
much to make up. She seemed to handle the track well; she just was not there. I
had to take her out of her game to catch up, and I think she didn’t like
that.”
Roman Treasure, Emma’s Encore, C C’s Pal, and Island Bound
completed the order of finish. Mildly Offensive and Risky Rachel were
scratched.