Dahlia

Joseph Allen's GRANDE MELODY (Ire) (Grand Lodge) finished with a flourish to

catch 4-5 favorite Naissance Royale (Ire) (Giant's Causeway) in the shadow of

the wire in the $150,000

Dahlia H.

(G2), Monday's closing day feature at Hollywood Park. Trained by Patrick

Biancone and ridden by Julien Leparoux, the dark bay three-year-old completed 1

1/16 miles on the firm turf in 1:40 4/5 to earn her first stakes score.

Leparoux settled Grande Melody well off the early pace dictated by the

duelists Cross (Mighty) and Berbatim (Bernstein), who sparred through fractions

of :23 2/5, :47 3/5 and 1:11 1/5. Turning for home, Naissance Royale cruised

into an ominous third, and straightening into the stretch, the favorite burst

clear and appeared set for victory. Grande Melody was just winding up, however,

and found her best stride late to emerge as the lone threat. Although Naissance

Royale plugged on determinedly beneath the top weight of 120 pounds, Grande

Melody was rapidly gaining beneath her 114-pound impost and overhauled her older

rival to notch the victory by a nose.

Singalong (GB) (Singspiel [Ire]) closed from last for third, another 2 1/4

lengths adrift of the runner-up. Charm the Giant (Ire) (Giant's Causeway) was fourth,

followed by Strong Faith (Pioneering), Berbatim, Cross, Dream's (Chi) (Sam M.),

Memorette (Memo [Chi]) and Conveyor's Angel (Conveyor). Finlandia (Royal Anthem)

and Movie Star (Brz) (Royal Academy) were withdrawn.

Leaving the gate as the 6-1 second choice in the 10-horse field, Grande

Melody returned $14, $4.60 and $3.80 while spearheading $1 exotics worth $15.40

(exacta), $113.40 (trifecta) and $826.60 (3-2-11-8 superfecta). Naissance Royale

gave back $2.40 and $2.40, and the nearly 13-1 Singalong furnished $5 to show.

Bred by Watership Down Stud in Ireland, the winner was sold for $246,000 as a

yearling at the 2004 Deauville August sale and began her career with Pascal Bary

in France. After breaking her maiden in an allowance contest at Chantilly in

April, she finished third in the Prix de la Seine at Longchamp in May and

rounded out her Gallic sojourn with a ninth-place effort in the Prix de Diane

(French Oaks) (Fr-G1) in June. She made her American bow a winning one in a

Keeneland turf allowance in October, then checked in third in the November 12

Audrey Skirball-Kenis S. over the Hollywood turf. Grande Melody now sports a

mark of 7-3-0-2 with $151,508 in her account.

Grande Melody is out of the unraced Nureyev mare Crystal Melody, who is

herself a full sister to Group 1 heroine Crystal Music, successful in the 2000

Fillies Mile S. (Eng-G1) and runner-up in the 2001 Irish One Thousand Guineas S.

(Ire-G1) and Coronation S. (Eng-G1). Crystal Melody is a half-sister to English

Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1-placed State Crystal (High Estate), English

Group 3 queen and French Group 1-placed Solar Crystal (Alzao), English Group 3

victor Dubai Success (Sadler's Wells) and 1999 Irish Derby (G1) third

Tchaikovsky (Sadler's Wells).