Filly finds her best at the Rite Moment in Distaff

Winning Move Stable et al's RITE MOMENT (Vicar) moved outside of pacesetter

Your Flame in Me (Boundary) in early stretch and wore that one down to eclipse

the Distaff H. (G2) at Aqueduct on Saturday by one length. The Gary Contessa

trainee raced close up along the inside to the head of the lane, awaited room

under Rajiv Maragh approaching the final turn and closed with excellent energy

to finish off six furlongs in 1:09 4/5 on the fast inner dirt. Sent off as the 5-2 second choice, the

four-year-old filly paid $7.30, $4.10 and $3.30 while keying the $47.80 exacta

and $265.50 trifecta (2-1-3).

"She has exceeded my expectations," Contessa said. "She never bounces. She

comes back on two or three weeks rest and runs the same race. She's a big,

strong filly. She eats like a colt, trains like a colt and runs against fillies.

It's kind of cool."

Your Flame in Me ran a winning race in defeat, establishing all the splits

before being overtaken late at 8-1. The runner-up returned $7.60 and $5.30 for

finishing 2 1/4 lengths clear of Scatkey (Scatmandu), who rallied along the rail

to earn the black-type placing. Show was worth $5.60 on the 17-1 longshot, who

was trailed by 4-5 choice Control System (Lion Hearted), Beau Dare (Military)

and Quality Affair (Elusive Quality).

Rite Moment reeled off her fourth win from her last five tries here,

including a 13 1/4-length romp in the Limit S. most recently. The bay, who was acquired

after running second in an allowance race at Hawthorne in November, improved her

lifetime line to 11-5-3-0, $244,242. She was second in the Correction H. in

early February.

Bred in the Bluegrass State by Charles Nuckols Jr. & Sons, the winner was

produced from the winning Moments of Joy (Lost Code) and has a two-year-old

half-sister named Joy Street (Street Cry [Ire]) and an unnamed yearling

half-sister by Marquetry.

Contessa said Rite Moment could return in the $150,000 Bed O'Roses H. (G2)

going seven furlongs on April 19