OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Any lingering disappointment trainer Brittany Russell may have felt from odds-on favorite Balboa getting beat in the Jerome Stakes earlier in the day dissipated two hours later when Dazzling Dame lived up to her name in the $150,000 Busanda Stakes on Saturday.
Taking the lead soon after the start under Jevian Toledo, Dazzling Dame led her five rivals on a futile chase around the Aqueduct main track to score an 11 1/2-length victory in the Busanda. Two Bits, who finished fourth, beaten six lengths, to Dazzling Dame in the White Clay Creek Stakes at Delaware Park in October, finished second Saturday by 11 1/4 lengths over third-place finisher and Busanda favorite Believable. Midnite Ginny and Britain completed the order of finish. Shilling was scratched due to a small puncture wound in the front of a pastern, according to trainer Kenny McPeek.
For Dazzling Dame, a Maryland-bred daughter of Girvin, the win was her fourth from five career starts and third in an ungraded stakes race. The Busanda victory earned Dazzling Dame 20 points toward the May 1 Kentucky Oaks; she now has 22 qualifying points after factoring in her fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill in September.
Russell said not a lot went right for Dazzling Dame when shipping from Maryland to Kentucky for that race. Nothing went wrong for Dazzling Dame shipping to New York from Maryland.
Breaking alertly under Toledo, Dazzling Dame went to the front but had Believable, under Flavien Prat, within a half-length of her through an opening half-mile of 47.20 seconds. Around the far turn, Dazzling Dame started to leave Believable in her wake.
Two Bits, under Jaime Rodriguez, moved into second, but she was no match for Dazzling Dame, who switched leads in upper stretch and widened her advantage in the final furlong.
“She always breaks forward, she likes to be right there,” said Toledo, who is now 3 for 3 on Dazzling Dame. “I was a little bit worried because nobody held on the entire day on the lead. … Everything worked out good, she broke good, she put me in a great spot, and when I asked her I got a ton of horse under me.”
Dazzling Dame, who returned $6.24 to win as the second choice, covered the mile in 1:38.30, which was .66 faster than My World won the Jerome for 3-year-old males earlier on the card. It was also .37 faster than older New York-bred male Russian Realm ran winning an open-company allowance race.
“That was really nice,” Russell said. “She just does things really easy. She seems like she’s progressed. Nice big filly, she does things right. Hopefully, keep her healthy.”
Balboa was beaten two lengths by My World in the Jerome. Russell said that perhaps Balboa reacted to running a solid third behind Paladin and Renegade in the Grade 2 Remsen here four weeks ago.
“He probably ran harder than we thought in defeat,” Russell said of the Remsen effort. “We’ll give him some time between races.”
Russell said she may wait for the Viriginia Oaks and Virginia Derby, respectively, for Dazzling Dame and Balboa. Those races, which offer the winner 50 qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, are scheduled for March 14 at Colonial Downs.
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