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Pleasant Hill plucks Gardenia Donamire Farm's homebred PLEASANT HILL (Pleasant Tap) made a successful stakes debut in Saturday's $150,000 Gardenia H. (G3), leading all the way in the one-mile test at Ellis Park. With Larry Melancon rationing her speed through opening splits in :23 2/5, :46 3/5 and 1:12, the four-year-old filly entered the far turn with a comfortable lead but came under pressure from Brownie Points (Forest Wildcat) and Leah's Secret (Tiger Ridge) approaching the stretch. Her rivals appeared poised to pass her, but Pleasant Hill had another gear in reserve, spurting away from her challengers at the head of the lane. She completed seven furlongs in 1:25 and wasn't seriously threatened in the final furlong, stopping the teletimer over the fast track in 1:38 4/5. The Greg Foley-trained winner was sent off the 7-2 third choice in the 11-horse field and yielded $9.60, $5.40 and $4.20 to her backers. High Heels (E Dubai), the slight 3-1 favorite, trailed early following a poor start but offered a game rally up the rail in the stretch for runner-up honors, a length back of the winner. Place paid $4.40 and $3.40, and it was 1 1/2 lengths back to the 3-1 Brownie Points, who returned $3.20 for third. The exacta totaled $46.80, and the trifecta $182. Superb Ravi (Holy Bull) rounded out the $4,351.20 superfecta (2-12-8-11) at 63-1. Leah's Secret, Eyes on Eddy (Touch Gold), Mia's Reflection (Halo's Image), Stop a Train (Devil His Due), Molly's Pride (Maria's Mon), Maggie Slew (Seattle Slew) and Fiery Pursuit (Carson City) came next under the wire, and My Chickadee (Pleasant Tap) was scratched. A tough-luck second in a Churchill Downs allowance in her previous outing, Pleasant Hill moved her career mark to 6-3-3-0, $174,650. The Kentucky-bred lass is the second foal out of the Crafty Prospector mare Northern Destiny, who is also responsible for a yearling filly by Alphabet Soup and a 2007 colt by Strong Hope. This is the female family of multiple English highweight and millionaire Benny the Dip (Silver Hawk) and multiple Grade 3 hero Cryptic Rascal (Cryptoclearance).
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