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Fleet mare leads the way in Personal Ensign Paul Saylor's FLEET INDIAN (Indian Charlie) jumped right to the lead when the gates opened in Friday's $392,000 Personal Ensign S. (G1) and never relinquished her advantage en route to a 4 1/4-length victory with Jose Santos aboard. Sent off the 3-5 favorite in the five-horse field, the Todd Pletcher-trained five-year-old posted splits of :25 3/5, :50 3/5, 1:15 1/5 and 1:39 2/5 before stopping the clock in 2:03 4/5 for 10 furlongs on the fast main track. "We knew we were the lone speed in the race," Santos said. "She broke sharply like she has always done. She was asking me with her head to let her go. I kept her together until the half-mile pole when I let her go. When Balletto (UAE) (Timber Country) came within a length of us, I hit her once and she kept going." "Sometimes you can go too slow," Pletcher said. "That was my only concern. When (Fleet Indian) got into that rhythm, Balletto put in a run, but she had a lot left." Fleet Indian added yet another stakes to her record -- which now boasts six such events -- and kept her 2006 mark perfect in five starts. Among her other black-type scores are the Delaware H. (G2), Sixty Sails H. (G3) and Next Move H. (G3), and she now owns a 17-12-0-1 line with $1,344,513 in lifetime earnings. The dark bay mare returned $3.30, $2.10 and $2.10 while keying the $5.30 exacta. Balletto rated in third early before launching her bid, and although no match for the winner, she was easily the best of the rest, 6 3/4 lengths up on Soul Search (A.P. Indy) to pay $2.50 and $2.10 at 8-5. Soul Search was good for $2.80 while ending the $19 trifecta (5-1-3), and next under the line were Yolanda B. Too (Two Punch) and India Halo (Arg) (Halo Sunshine). Fleet Indian, bred in New York by Thomas/Lakin, was a $290,000 Keeneland January purchase earlier this year and is out of Hustleeta (Afleet), who is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Cherokee Wonder (Cherokee Colony), herself the dam of Grade 3 hero Cherokee's Boy (Citidancer). Pletcher said that Fleet Indian would probably point for the October 7 Beldame S. (G1) at Belmont Park while stablemate and last-out Go for Wand H. (G1) queen Spun Sugar (Awesome Again) will prepare for the Spinster S. (G1) at Keeneland on October 8.
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