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Nothing Dubious about Ben Ali winner

Dubious Miss wired the Ben Ali under Calvin Borel (EquiSport Photos) David P. Holloway Racing Inc. homebred's DUBIOUS MISS (E Dubai) returned to his favorite track on Sunday to add a first stakes win to his resume when taking the $150,000 Ben Ali S. (G3) at Keeneland by 1 1/2 lengths. Trained by Paul McGee, the six-year-old gelding was sent off the 2-1 favorite against his seven rivals and paid $6.60, $4 and $3 while keying the $58.80 exacta and $314.80 trifecta. "He's three-for-three now on this Polytrack, and he's run a couple of good races at Arlington and Turfway on the Polytrack as well," McGee said. "He's run well at Churchill too, so I'm sure we'll pick something out for him there." Calvin Borel nursed Dubious Miss' speed on the lead all the way around the track, setting moderate fractions of :24 2/5, :48, 1:12 3/5 and 1:37 1/5 while closely tracked by Timber Reserve (Forest Camp) on the outside. Dubious Miss maintained his steady pace entering the stretch, but not one in the group behind managed to close the gap. Timber Reserve backed up in the stretch, leaving the way clear for Kiss the Kid (Lemon Drop Kid) to grab second at the wire.

"Paul (McGee) said, 'Ride him like you own him,'" Borel said. "(Dubious Miss) loves this track; he ran two powerful races here before and he showed up today. Paul had him ready and all I had to do was to ride him."

The 4-7-5-3 superfecta was worth $1,060.40, with Kiss the Kid giving back $9 and $5.20 as the 8-1 sixth choice in second. Giant Oak (Giant's Causeway), sent off at 5-1, returned $4.20 for holding Just as Well (A.P. Indy) to fourth by three lengths on the wire. Palladio (Lycius), Big Top (Giant's Causeway), Ready Set (Touch Gold) and Timber Reserve completed the order under the line.

Dubious Miss broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in the fall of 2006, then switched over to Turfway Park's Polytrack to take an allowance while making his 2007 bow. He wasn't seen in the winner's circle again until making his Keeneland debut in the spring of 2008, and is now three-for-three over the Lexington, Kentucky, venue following a dominating 5 3/4-length score last fall.

Although this was Dubious Miss' first stakes victory, he was knocking on the door last season, running second in the Washington Park H. (G3) on Arlington Park's Polytrack and just missing by a neck to eventual Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) hero Furthest Land (Smart Strike) in the Kentucky Cup Classic H. (G2) back on Turfway's synthetic. He opened 2010 with yet another runner-up effort, this time in the Fair Grounds H. (G3), and now boasts a 19-8-4-1 line to go along with $429,630 in lifetime earnings.

The Kentucky-bred Dubious Miss is the third registered foal out of the stakes-placed Cryptoclover (Mountain Cat), who has since produced an unnamed juvenile full sister to the Ben Ali victor. His third dam is multiple stakes victress Muskoka Weekend (Nostrum), who has foaled the likes of Grade 1-placed stakes winner Karmani (Run the Gantlet) and Muskoka Ice (It's Freezing), herself the dam of this season's Honeybee S. (G3) scorer and Fantasy S. (G2) third No Such Word (Canadian Frontier). Others of note in this line include Grade 2 heroine Moon Mist (Key to the Moon) and Canadian Grade 3 scorer Barlee Mist (Charlie Barley).

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