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No separating Rutherienne, Bit of Whimsy in Sands Point The stretch run of Saturday's $109,000 Sands Point S. (G3) did not lack for suspense, as BIT OF WHIMSY (Distorted Humor) first fought off the sustained challenge of Classic Neel (El Corredor) and then tried desperately to keep the late-charging RUTHERIENNE (Pulpit) at bay. With Rutherienne rapidly gaining in the final yards, Bit of Whimsy was hoping that the wire would come in time. It did in one sense, but in another, it didn't. The two sophomore fillies flashed past the post in unison, and even the photo-finish camera couldn't find a sliver of difference between them, resulting in a dead-heat. The winners finished 1 1/8 miles on Belmont Park's firm inner turf in 1:48 2/5. Tears I Cry (Chester House) dictated the pace through splits of :24 4/5, :49 2/5 and 1:14, with Bit of Whimsy in second beneath Edgar Prado and Rutherienne content to rate at the back of the pack with Garrett Gomez. Turning for home, Bit of Whimsy and Classic Neel moved in tandem, sweeping past the tiring leader at the top of the stretch. The pair engaged in a stirring stretch duel, with Bit of Whimsy finally getting the upper hand. No sooner had she won that battle than Rutherienne came calling with a powerful rally on the outside to draw even at the wire. Classic Neel finished third, just a half-length adrift. "I thought I won it," Prado said of his view aboard Bit of Whimsy. "We were galloping along nice and easy. That horse was really coming on the outside." "I had no idea at the wire," Gomez said. "I felt my body was in front of Edgar's, but (Rutherienne) is so small, I guess I couldn't tell." "At first, I thought we won, and then I thought we didn't," said Barclay Tagg, Bit of Whimsy's trainer. "That was a great performance. We thought she was something special, but her numbers really didn't show it yet." "I thought we finished second," admitted Rutherienne's conditioner, Christophe Clement, "but she ran a very good race coming from out of it. She ran a huge race. She is a very good filly. "I like Barclay Tagg," the Frenchman continued. "We have to be good to the older generation. I like to share." Sent off as the 7-5 favorite, Rutherienne paid $3.10, $3 and $2.40 while keying exotics worth $21 (exacta) and $65 (4-5-3 trifecta). Bit of Whimsy left the gate at 10-1, returning $8.10, $6.90 and $4.40 and spearheading exotics totaling $35.20 (exacta) and $111.50 (5-4-3 trifecta). The nearly 5-1 Classic Neel gave back $3.40 to show. Sharp Susan (Touch Gold), the second choice at 8-5, wound up fourth after being rank early. Tears I Cry retreated to fifth, followed home by Survived (Stravinsky). Sister Desiree (Vision and Verse) was withdrawn, along with the main-track only entrants, Olivine (Royal Academy), Bold Assurance (Stormy Atlantic) and Officer in Pursuit (Officer). A homebred campaigned by Virginia Kraft Payson, Rutherienne advanced her record to 5-4-0-0 with $162,635 in earnings. The dark bay filly was posting her third stakes victory, having taken the Cherokee Frolic S. at Calder as a juvenile and the Sugar Plum Time S. over this course last time out. Out of the stakes-winning Rahy mare Ruthian, the Kentucky-bred miss has a pair of younger half-brothers, an unraced juvenile named Big Wig (A.P. Indy) and a yearling colt by Vindication. Joyce B. Young and Gerald McManis' Bit of Whimsy more than doubled her bankroll to $77,600 from her 3-2-1-0 line. The chestnut was making her stakes debut in this spot after breaking her maiden by 2 3/4 lengths on the turf at Aqueduct. Bred by Bonner Young and Joyce B. Rowand in Kentucky, she was produced by Kristi B (El Prado [Ire]), who is also the dam of an unraced juvenile filly named Kristi with a K (Petionville), a yearling filly named Evening Chant (War Chant) and a 2007 colt by Theatrical (Ire). Neither trainer is certain where his filly will turn up next. "We'll see where we go with (Bit of Whimsy)," Tagg said. "I have a tough time in California." "I don't know what we'll do next," Clement said. "We can go to Hollywood or wait for Saratoga. I've just run (Rutherienne) three times in 40 days. It might not be a bad idea to sit on her for a little bit."
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