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Cheetah shows terrific acceleration in Robert G. Dick Robert Scarborough's CHEETAH (GB) (Tiger Hill) lived up to her name in Saturday's $202,450 Robert G. Dick Memorial S. (G3) at Delaware Park. Uncorking a sparkling turn of foot down the stretch, the 9-5 favorite bolted home by 3 3/4 lengths to earn her first graded victory. In the process, the gray filly advertised herself as the latest turf dynamo from the Christophe Clement barn. Under Jose Lezcano, Cheetah was anchored at the rear of the 12-horse field in the early going. Up front, Ainamaa (Lemon Drop Kid) beat off a couple of erstwhile pace rivals through an opening quarter in :23 2/5 and proceeded to carve out fractions of :47 1/5 and 1:11 4/5. As Kilmore Quay (Ire) (Traditionally) gave chase in second, a six-length gap opened up back to Millennia (Milwaukee Brew) in third. The field drew closer nearing the final turn and swamped Kilmore Quay after a mile in 1:36 4/5. Ainamaa, however, kept winging it and continued to hold a daylight advantage into the stretch. Bubbly Jane (Brz) (Yagli) began to make headway on the outside, but Cheetah was catching the eye best of all along the inside. Rapidly overhauling Ainamaa in midstretch, Cheetah burst clear to win going away and completed 1 3/8 miles on the good turf in 2:13. The popular winner returned $5.80, $3.60 and $3.20. "Mr. Clement told me let her break and rate her where you can," Lezcano said. "In the stretch she had a fabulous kick and she is a very nice filly. At the quarter-pole everybody was looking for a spot, but I had so much horse, I had to wait for the right moment to be clear. She was very impressive." Bubbly Jane, who met with some trouble on the far turn, finished a solid second in her first start for more than 13 months. She crossed the wire 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Dyna Waltz (GB) (Dynaformer), who collared Ainamaa by a half-length for third. Honimiere (Ire) (Fasliyev) checked in fifth, followed by Media Madness (Empire Maker), Freedom Rings (Proud Citizen), Millennia, Riviera Chic (Medaglia d'Oro), Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul [Ire]), She Be Classy (Toccet) and Kilmore Quay. Cheetah boosted her bankroll to $209,932 from her 9-4-1-2 record. Initially trained by Luca Cumani in England, she broke her maiden over the Polytrack at Kempton in her third start. After unplaced efforts back on turf in the John Musker Fillies S. and Gillies S., she reverted to synthetic and captured the Wild Flower S. at Kempton last November. Fittocks Stud then sold the homebred filly for $293,838 at Tattersalls in December. Making her debut for Clement in an off-the-turf Keeneland allowance on April 23, she rolled to a 3 3/4-length decision over Dyna Waltz, extending her Polytrack mark to three-for-three. Cheetah tackled graded company for the first time in the May 28 Sheepshead Bay S. (G2), where she stumbled badly at the start but recovered to finish third. Cheetah is out of the winning Kendor mare Kassiyra, who is herself a half-sister to French Group 2 hero Kassani (Alleged) and Group 3 queen Kassana (Shernazar), the dam of Irish St Leger (Ire-G1) star and multiple highweight Kastoria (Ire) (Selkirk). This is the family of champion Kahyasi (Ile de Bourbon), winner of the 1988 Derby (Eng-G1) and Irish Derby (Ire-G1) and later a successful sire. Carefully managed by the Aga Khan, the maternal line traces to champion and dual classic heroine *Masaka (Nearco), a half-sister to Hall of Famer *Gallant Man (*Migoli).
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