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Belle brooks no rival in Rampart Peter Vegso and Gary Seidler's homebred UNRIVALED BELLE (Unbridled's Song) proved to be a handful for jockey Kent Desormeaux just prior to Saturday's $150,000 Rampart S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park, and in the running of the nine-furlong race itself, the 9-5 favorite proved too much for her rivals to handle. After acting up in the paddock, Unrivaled Belle had a problem going into the starting gate, causing Desormeaux to get off momentarily. Once loaded and settled, the Bill Mott filly soon regrouped. Unrivaled Belle moved up to grab the early lead from Champagne Eyes (Flatter) and carved out splits of :23 3/5, :47 2/5 and 1:11 1/5. Champagne Eyes tried to mount a challenge, but Unrivaled Belle knuckled down, clung tenaciously to her advantage, and inched away. The gray reached the mile mark in 1:36 1/5, and held a 1 3/4-length margin while crossing the wire in a final time of 1:49 1/5 on the fast track. Unrivaled Belle furnished mutuels of $5.80, $3.40 and $2.80 and keyed the exotics -- $100.40 exacta, $484 trifecta and $3,682.80 (8-7-6-3 superfecta). "She froze going into the gate, but that's all it was," Desormeaux said. "It's not a simple thing to explain, but hopefully it's something she gets over. The last couple of times we tried to hold her off the lead and I was a little disappointed with the way she ran, so I thought maybe we should employ a different tactic today and go for the lead. Thankfully that change in the plan was successful. At no point late was I worried that the other horses were going to come get her. She still had plenty left at the finish." "She can be the most docile horse around the barn, but when she goes to the paddock it can be a battle," Mott said. "She's actually pretty good when she does get in the gate. We (Mott and Desormeaux) didn't have much time to talk about strategy in the paddock the way she was acting, which is probably for the best." Champagne Eyes salvaged runner-up honors by a head from Miss Singhsix (Ire) (Singspiel [Ire]), returning $17.80 and $7.60 as an unheralded 25-1 shot. Miss Singhsix, who had been reserved in midpack early, ranged into contention in the stretch but wound up settling for third. Show was good for $4.40 at 6-1. Another length back came 34-1 longshot Miss Match (Arg) (Indygo Shiner) in an even fourth. Recent Sabin S. (G3) winner Aurora Lights (Pulpit) faded to fifth, followed by Even Road (Stephen Got Even), Don't Forget Gil (Kafwain) and Venezuelan star Bambera (Ven) (Water Poet [Ire]), who stumbled badly right after the start. "She cut her tendon," trainer Pablo Andrade said of Bambera. " (Jockey) Edgar (Perez) told me that it happened when she was coming out of the gate. It doesn't look too bad, and my vet is looking at it now." Unrivaled Belle's first graded coup advanced her record to 7-4-2-0, $259,270. A near-miss second after clipping heels in her debut at Keeneland last April, she was sidelined for more than four months, but returned to rattle off three straight victories. Unrivaled Belle broke her maiden at Monmouth in August, cleared her entry-level allowance condition at Belmont in October, and romped by 6 3/4 lengths in the Real Prize S. at the same venue later that month. She coped with a significant class hike in the Gazelle S. (G1) at Aqueduct in November, finishing second to Flashing. Unrivaled Belle made her four-year-old bow in the February 14 La Canada S. (G2) at Santa Anita last time out, where she checked in fourth. "She was a still a maiden at Keeneland last year and had some minor issues, so she had kind of a limited campaign," Mott said of her sophomore season. "She ran well in the Gazelle, and we were looking forward to this year. "She's been invited to the Apple Blossom ([G1] at Oaklawn Park on April 9), and then there is a race Derby weekend at Churchill (April 30 La Troienne S. [G2]). We've also got another nice filly in Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union), so we'll look at the options." The Kentucky-bred Unrivaled Belle was listed as sold for $260,000 at Keeneland September. Produced by multiple Grade 2 winner Queenie Belle (Bertrando), she is a half-sister to a two-year-old colt named Achaemenes (Empire Maker) and an unnamed yearling filly by Dynaformer. Queenie Belle is herself a half-sister to Doncaster Cup (Eng-G3) victor Canon Can (Green Dancer).
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