Fierce Boots stomps Busanda rivals

Fierce Boots took the lead coming out of the gate and was

never challenged as she rolled to a two-length upset of 9-5 favorite Flipcup in

Saturday's $100,000

Busanda for

three-year-old fillies at Aqueduct.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Fierce Boots towed the field of eight

through moderate fractions of :24 2/5 for the opening quarter-mile, :48 4/5 for the half and 1:14

4/5 for three-quarters. She straightened for home ahead by

two and went on to complete the mile-and-70-yard test in 1:46 3/5 over the fast

inner dirt.

"She broke well, so I put her on the lead," Ortiz said.

"She went very relaxed and just kept trying."

It was the first stakes victory for Fierce Boots, who is

owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and trained by Todd Pletcher. The bay

daughter of Tiznow, who fetched $200,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, came from off the pace to break her maiden in August at Parx Racing in her

second start and most recently finished fourth in a first-level optional claimer

on December 5 at Aqueduct.

The Busanda was her second stakes try following a well-beaten 11th in the

Chelsea Flower at Belmont Park in late October.