Afleeting Lady jumps up in Turnback the Alarm

Exactly one week before her half-brother and stablemate Shackleford lines up

in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Afleeting Lady broke through with her first

graded victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000

Turnback the Alarm Handicap at Belmont Park. Owned by Alpha Delta Stables

and Richard Santulli, the Dale Romans trainee stalked, pounced, and drew off

with authority by 3 1/2 lengths.

Afleeting Lady had previously placed twice at the Grade 2 level at Churchill

Downs, just missing by a neck in last November's Falls City Handicap, and

finishing best-of-the-rest behind the imperious Royal Delta in the June 16 Fleur

de Lis Handicap. The five-year-old daughter of Afleet Alex earned her first

stakes score in the September 3 Lady's Secret at Monmouth last out, and

continued her progress here.

After breaking alertly beneath Joel Rosario, the 3-1 second choice was

content to track in second, observing All Due Respect rattle off fractions of

:23 1/5, :46 and 1:10 1/5. Maristar raced in third, 5-2 favorite R Gypsy Gold

didn't appear to be traveling with any alacrity, and defending champion Arena

Elvira was reserved in the next flight.

Afleeting Lady ranged up alongside the pacesetter at the top of the stretch,

but All Due Respect knuckled down under pressure and tried to fend off the

challenge. As soon as Afleeting Lady switched to her right lead, however, the

race was over. She kicked clear to complete 1 1/16 miles on the fast track in

1:42, returning $8, $4.10 and $3.30.

"That was an easy trip," Rosario summed up. "It looked like (All Due Respect)

was the speed. My horse has speed, too, but I just let them go and let my horse

get comfortable and she was really game today."

All Due Respect easily held second by 2 1/4 lengths. The late-running

Nefertini edged fellow deep closer Go Unbridled by a nose for third. R. Gypsy

Gold checked in fifth, followed by Arena Elvira, Maristar and Catch a Thief.

Afleeting Lady improved her record to 19-6-4-2, $374,822. The bay took seven

tries to break her maiden, but after clearing that hurdle in the summer of 2011,

she began to turn the corner. Third in the Mari Hulman George at Hoosier in her

stakes debut, Afleeting Lady came right back to romp in an optional claimer at

Churchill, and capped her sophomore campaign by nearly upsetting Arena Elvira in

the Falls City. She avenged that loss, with interest, on Saturday.

Bred by James M. Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge in Kentucky, Afleeting Lady is one

of five stakes winners produced by the stakes-placed Unbridled mare Oatsee. Her

headliner is $2.8 million-earner Shackleford, last year's Preakness winner who

showed his trademark grit to prevail in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.

Runner-up in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, he will try to go one better at

Santa Anita.

Oatsee's other stakes winners are Lady Joanne, victress of the Grade 1

Alabama in 2007; multiple Grade 3 queen Baghdaria; and her current

three-year-old Stephanoatsee, who just captured last Saturday's Barbaro Stakes

at Delaware.

Further back, this is the family of multiple Grade 1 stars Tappiano and

Tentam, classic-winning sire Known Fact and world-renowned sire Gone West.

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