Phola continues her rapid ascent in Distaff Turf Mile

Although Cure for Sale clung grimly to the lead at the top of the stretch,

Hot Cha Cha had all the momentum, and she rolled to the front. No sooner had Hot

Cha Cha kicked clear, than Phola struck top gear wider out. Devouring the ground

rapidly, Phola blew past Hot Cha Cha and drew off to score with authority. The

winner negotiated one mile on the rain-soaked going in 1:38 1/5 and returned

$15.40, $6.80 and $4.60 at a generous 6-1.

"We had a great trip," Dominguez said. "The filly definitely loves soft

going. (Trainer) Todd (Pletcher) asked me to ride her pretty much like we did

last time. She's so easy on herself. The ground is so soft, you don't really

know what you have until you send her, when you ask her she's got a

three-sixteenths, quarter of a mile (kick)."

"We handled soft ground at Tampa last time out, so we were optimistic that

she'd handle it today, though this is softer than she ran on before," Pletcher

said. "She's just a filly who's finding herself and getting good. She's getting

better and better with every race."

The 9-2 Hot Cha Cha held second by 1 1/4 lengths, yielding $5.20 and $4. Miss

Keller (Ire) (Montjeu [Ire]) got up for third, and the 11-1 shot paid $6.20 to

show. The exotics totaled $77.60 (exacta), $642 (trifecta) and $2,600.60

(2-6-1-3 superfecta) with the 5-2 Fantasia (GB) (Sadler's Wells) a one-paced

fourth. Tizaqueena, Cure for Sale and Diamondrella rounded out the order under

the wire, and Hooh Why (Cloud Hopping) was scratched.

Phola now sports a mark of 11-5-2-2 with $330,163 in her bankroll. An

impressive debut maiden winner over Arlington Park's Polytrack as a juvenile,

the dark bay finished third in the 2008 Arlington-Washington Lassie (G3) next

time out. She plied her trade in allowance or optional claiming company

throughout 2009, winning once in a Delaware Park turf event. Phola kicked off

her four-year-old campaign with a sharp allowance score at Gulfstream Park on

February 7, and took a sizeable step forward in the aforementioned Hillsborough.

Bred in Kentucky by Andover Way and N & P Horse Racing Venture, Phola sold

for $50,000 as a 2007 Keeneland September yearling and RNA'ed for $47,000 at the

2008 OBS March sale. She's out of the Petionville mare Humbling (Ire), who is

also the dam of a 2010 colt by Songandaprayer. Phola's second dam is Grade 3

winner Humble Eight (Seattle Battle), the dam of stakes winner and Grade 3

runner-up Stage Call (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). This is the family of Irish

highweight and multiple Group 1 queen Balanchine (Storm Bird), who defeated

males in the 1994 Irish Derby (Ire-G1); Group 1 heroine West Wind (GB)

(Machiavellian); Group 2 vixen Red Slippers (Nureyev); and Group 2 scorer

Romanov (Ire) (Nureyev).

Phola figures to take her game to the Grade 1 level, with Pletcher mentioning

the June 5 Just a Game S. (G1) at Belmont Park as a probable target.