Azeri BC

Saturday's $173,500

Azeri Breeders' Cup S. (G3) at Oaklawn Park lived up to

its billing as ROUND POND (Awesome Again) and Happy Ticket (Anet) dueled

throughout. From the far turn to the finish, there was nothing between them. In the end, Round Pond inched

clear to win by a short head, defeating her classy rival and setting the stage

for a much-anticipated rematch in the $500,000 Apple Blossom H. (G1) on April 8.

Trained by John Servis and ridden by Stewart Elliott, Round Pond broke

quickest from her rail post and set the pace into the first turn of the 1

1/16-mile event, completing the opening quarter-mile in :23 4/5 with a

half-length advantage over Happy Ticket. By the time the Fox Hills Farm-owned

filly reached a half-mile in :48 2/5, her lead had shrunk to a head, and it would

remain extremely tight the rest of the way. Round Pond continued to lead

through three-quarters in 1:13 3/5, but her rival was right next to her, with Happy Ticket briefly sticking a head in front and threatening

to surge past as they dueled into the stretch. The Grade 1 winners flew home,

turning the mile in 1:37 4/5 before finishing in 1:43 4/5 over the fast track,

and Round Pond had enough in reserve late to surge right before the wire.

Favored at 3-5, the four-year-old winner gave back $3.20, $2.20 and $2.20.

Happy Ticket was off at 6-5 and paid $2.40 and $2.20. Stakes winner Platinum

Ballet (Skip Away) turned in a commendable performance for third while never a

serious factor, finishing 1 1/4 lengths back at 16-1 and returning $2.80. The

exacta paid $5 and 1-2-6 trifecta $16.20. La Reason (Labeeb [GB]), Took Out (Barkerville)

and Daddy's Petunia (Run Softly) rounded out the order of finish.

An easy victress over allowance/optional-claiming rivals in her seasonal bow,

Round Pond improved her overall mark to 8-6-1-1, with $596,300 in earnings, with

Saturday's determined score. The bay filly broke her maiden at Oaklawn last year

and captured the Fantasy S. (G2) and Honeybee S. over the Hot Springs, Arkansas,

oval. She recorded her fourth straight victory when knocking off eventual

champion Smuggler (Unbridled) in the Acorn S. (G1), but her season came to an end following a

runner-up finish in the Delaware Oaks (G2) in mid-July. She had surgery to

remove a chip in her left leg afterward and returned to the races this year

better than ever.

Bred in Kentucky by Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan, Round Pond was purchased

for $105,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale and hails from the

Trempolino mare Gift of Dance, who is also the dam of a two-year-old filly by

Tale of the Cat and a yearling colt by Hold That Tiger. The 17-year-old mare is

out of the Group 1-placed Coral Dance (Fr) (Green Dancer) and is a half-sister

to four-time Grade 1 winner and millionaire Nasr El Arab (Al Nasr [Fr]); English

Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and French Group 1 winner Pennekamp (Bering [GB]); and Irish highweight three-year-old

Black Minnaloushe (Storm Cat).

Happy Ticket entered the Azeri off a convincing win in her five-year-old bow

at Evangeline Downs. Winner of the Ballerina S. (G1) and second to champion

Ashado in the Beldame S. (G1), she'll get another shot at the winner next month.