Super Espresso wore down Payton d'Oro to take Saturday's Grade 3 Allaire DuPonte Distaff Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Even money favorite Life At Ten finished a distant 3rd.
Longshot Lily Quatorze broke from the rail and dueled with Decelerator through honest splits of :23.19 and :46.09. Life At Ten and Payton d'Oro made their moves as the two early runners started to fade after six furlongs in 1:10.64.
Payton d'Oro got a nice run along the inside and briefly looked like the winner but Super Espresso was rallying down the middle of the track and inched clear to win by 3/4ths of a length under Ramon Dominguez.
The final time for the eight and one-half furlong DuPont was 1:42.85 and Super Espresso paid $24.20 for trainer Todd Pletcher. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay owns the 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro.
The top two were well clear of Life At Ten with Check Point, Decelerator, and Lily Quatorze bringing up the rear.
