As the 9-5 favorite in Saturday's 5TH race at Arlington Park, Ann of the Dance looked to have a great chance to become the first winner sired by champion turf horse and $5.3 million-earner ENGLISH CHANNEL (Smart Strike). As it turned out, the James DiVito pupil had anything but clear sailing, yet still overcame adversity to finish fast and get her sire off the mark.
Ann of the Dance's prospects suddenly dimmed right at the start. Drawn on the inside, she was waylaid by the rival next to her and forced inward several paths. Ann of the Dance soon found herself at the tail of the field, and was already being driven along by Diego Sanchez.
Bumped and buffeted again as she skimmed the rail rounding the far turn, the plucky filly kept her composure and worked her way forward. Ann of the Dance was still well back in the stretch, but once angled to the outside, she began to hit top gear inside the final sixteenth. Swooping with irresistible momentum, Ann of the Dance was along in time by one length to complete five Polytrack furlongs in 1:01.
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