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Pletcher filly new Belle of Delaware Team Valor Stables LLC's UNBRIDLED BELLE (Broken Vow) dominated her rivals in Sunday's rich $1,000,900 Delaware H. (G2) while making just her second start of the year. Sent off the 8-1 fourth choice in the eight-horse field, the dark bay miss pulled off under a hand ride from jockey Ramon Dominguez to be 7 3/4 lengths clear at the line, paying $18.60, $8 and $6.80 to her faithful backers. Peak Maria's Way (Pyramid Peak) surged to the front when the gates opened, leading the way through splits of :23 4/5, :47 4/5, 1:11 2/5 and 1:35 4/5. Behind and to her inside was Unbridled Belle while Indian Vale (A.P. Indy) was content to stalk just to her outside. Entering the stretch, Unbridled Belle suddenly accelerated, blowing past Peak Maria's Way on the outside and easily drawing away as her rivals struggled to keep up. The Todd Pletcher charge was never threatened as she finished the 1 1/4-mile main track event in 2:01, giving Dominguez, who also captured the Light Hearted S. earlier, his fifth win on the day. Lila Paige (Cryptoclearance) was content to race near the back, but put in a six-wide rally entering the stretch to get up and take second as the 56-1 second longest shot on the board. She gave back $34.80 and $17.80 for holding Promenade Girl (Carson City), who came four wide into the stretch, to third by 1 1/4 lengths. Show was worth $8.60 at 20-1, and the exotics returned $383.40 (exacta), $4,137.80 (trifecta) and $10,229.70 (4-2-7-1 superfecta), with Peak Maria's Way rounding out the top four. Indian Vale backed up to finish fifth and was followed by Asi Siempre (El Prado [Ire]), Daytime Promise (Five Star Day) and Ice Cool Kitty (Tomorrows Cat) after Take a Check (Touch Gold) was scratched. Unbridled Belle entered the Delaware H. owning just one stakes win, that coming in last year's Go for Wand S. over the track, and made her 2007 bow a runner-up finish to Peak Maria's Way in the Obeah S. With this win, the four-year-old lass improved her line to 11-4-2-1 while increasing her earnings to $772,840. Bred in the Bluegrass State by Charger Six Venture, Unbridled Belle was a bargain in the sales ring, bringing only $4,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. She is out of 1995 Gardenia Breeders' Cup S. winner Little Bold Belle (Silver Buck), who also has an unraced juvenile colt named Stones River (Monarchos) and an unnamed yearling colt by Mizzen Mast. Little Bold Belle is herself a full sister to multiple Grade 3 hero Classic Endeavor and a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and Grade 1-placed B. B. Best (Yes It's True). Unbridled Belle's second dam, the winning Bold Juana (John Alden), is a full sister to the remarkable Little Bold John, an earner of more than $1.9 million who captured 25 stakes races, including the 1987 Donn H. (G2).
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