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Genter laurels to Laurafina Returning from a five-month layoff, Sabine Stable's LAURAFINA (Cozzene) unleashed a powerful closing kick to claim her first stakes victory in the $100,000 Frances A. Genter S. (G3) at Calder on Saturday. Guided by Rafael Bejarano, the gray filly prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Champagne Ending (Precise End). She completed the 7 1/2-furlong test on the firm turf in a stakes-record 1:27 for trainer Robert Barbara. While Laurafina was reserved well off the quick early pace, Champagne Ending was in the thick of it. Slowly into stride, Champagne Ending was third after a quarter in :23 but rushed up to seize command through a half-mile in a demanding :45 1/5 and six furlongs in 1:09 4/5. Into the stretch, Champagne Ending fought bravely to maintain her advantage and succeeded in fending off a short-lived bid from Snug Harbour (Boston Harbor). But Laurafina had shot into contention on the far turn, and she closed energetically to wrest the lead in deep stretch. More Than Promised (More Than Ready) also gained ground from the rear and, despite looming menacingly late, could not catch the top pair and settled for third, another half-length behind. The nearly 3-1 favorite Pommes Frites (Dynaformer) finished fourth, followed by Flying Circle (Pembroke), Snug Harbor, Aclassysassylassy (Wild Event), Ready's Gal (More Than Ready), Tiger Belle (Tiger Ridge), Dansetta Light (Colony Light) and Running Bobcats (Running Stag). Elle Runaway (El Prado [Ire]) did not finish the race, as she stumbled after the break and unseated jockey Eddie Castro. Both were unhurt in the incident. The four also-eligibles -- Kat Princess (El Prado [Ire]), Wicked Funny (Distorted Humor), Brazilian (Stravinsky) and Crafty Judy (Touch Gold) -- were all scratched. As the fourth choice at odds of nearly 9-1, Laurafina returned dividends of $19.40, $8.60 and $5.40. Champagne Ending, the 9-1 fifth choice, paid $10.20 and $5.20 while completing the $226.40 exacta. More Than Promised gave back $3 as the second choice at 3-1, yielding a $796.20 trifecta. Favored Pommes Frites rounded out the superfecta (7-9-10-1) worth $2,760.20. "My filly broke very sharp, but I didn't want her to go too fast early, so I just put her in a good position and waited," Bejarano said. "When we turned for home, I moved outside, and when she saw the daylight, she took off." Although the Genter was Laurafina's first stakes score, she had finished second to the brilliant Melhor Ainda (Pulpit) in the Sands Point S. (G3) in June, defeating subsequent Grade 2 heroine My Typhoon (Ire) (Giant's Causeway). In her only other stakes attempt, and her last start before the Genter, Laurafina was sixth as the 8-5 favorite in the Lake George S. (G3) at Saratoga, beaten two lengths by the winner, Ready's Gal, eighth in the Genter. "We really loved her that day (in the Lake George)," Barbara said, "but (she) didn't run her race. The next morning, we found she had some soft tissue damage in a foreleg, so we sent her to the farm and gave her plenty time. "We considered bringing her back in an allowance race last week, but decided, 'What the heck? Let's go for it and run her in the stakes,'" Barbara added. Bred by Betty Bizsantz in Kentucky, Laurafina was sold at the 2003 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $60,000 to Sabine Stable. She went through the ring at the OBS March Sale of two-year-olds in training, but she was not sold after bringing a bid of $95,000. Laurafina is out of the stakes-winning Avenue Shopper (Avenue of Flags), who also placed in eight stakes while amassing $279,204 in earnings. She has a newly turned three-year-old colt, Broken Pledge (Broken Vow), still unraced, and two unnamed fillies, a newly minted juvenile by Came Home and a yearling (a foal of 2005) by Johannesburg. This is the immediate family of 2001 American Derby (G2) winner Fan Club's Mister. Having just turned four years old on Sunday, Laurafina has a record of three wins and one second in seven starts with a bankroll of $137,620.
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