Princess leaves Rags behind in Gazelle

Lear's Princess (outside) outgamed star filly Rags to Riches in the Gazelle (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) Saturday's 112th running of the Gazelle S. (G1) was being billed as Rags to Riches' (A.P. Indy) return to glory, and the newly dubbed "Belle of Belmont Park" was duly sent off the 2-5 favorite against four rivals in the $245,000 race. It wasn't to be, though, as West Point Thoroughbreds' LEAR'S PRINCESS (Lear Fan) rallied from off the pace in the small field to earn her first graded score in style under Eibar Coa. Dorm Fever (Stormin Fever) quickly moved to the fore when the gates opened, but found herself challenged early on by Tough Tiz's Sis (Tiznow). Holding that rival by a head, Dorm Fever set splits of :24, :47 and 1:11 1/5 while racing along the rail. All the while, Rags to Riches was tracking those two just behind and to the outside. The Belmont S. (G1) queen came three wide around the turn and appeared ready to open up on the field, getting the mile in 1:35 2/5, but suddenly found Lear's Princess gaining ground on the outside. With Coa urging his mount along, and John Velazquez quickly going to the whip aboard Rags to Riches, the two game sophomores raced nip and tuck to the line. However, it became apparent that the 98-day break and missed training had taken its toll on the favorite, and Lear's Princess crossed under the line a half-length in front of her tiring rival, finishing nine furlongs on the fast dirt in 1:47 4/5.

"It worked out great," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. "I didn't think we

would ever be outside of Rags to Riches, but we were and it worked out great.

She deserved to win a Grade 1. I hate that we had to beat Rags to Riches, in a

way, but that gives much more credit to our filly."

McLaughlin said that Lear's Princess would now go for a likely rematch with

Rags to Riches in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) on October 27 at Monmouth Park.

"The only worry with putting the blinkers on today was that she might get a

little rank," he added about the decision to add first-time blinkers. "We were

talking about it, and she is such a classy filly and she does everything right,

so we decided to put them on."

"She didn't run a bad race," said a disappointed Todd Pletcher of Rags to

Riches. "Obviously, the winner has been knocking on the door in some big races,

and she was the one we feared. It has been well documented that we haven't had a

real smooth three months since the Belmont. I'd say that some missed workouts,

some temperatures and this and that from June 9 to today hurt us inside of the

sixteenth-pole.

"I would never be discouraged with the filly. I still think she is the best

three-year-old filly in the country. I think she is one of the best we've seen

in a long time. Sometimes, the best get beat. I wouldn't switch places with

anyone, and I look forward to making amends six weeks from now in the Breeders'

Cup."

Lear's Princess, the 2-1 second pick, rewarded her faithful backers with

payouts of $6.20, $2.30 and $2.10. Rags to Riches was still best of the rest,

finishing two lengths in front of Tough Tiz's Sis to return $2.10 and $2.10.

Show gave back $2.40 at 10-1, and next under the line were Dorm Fever and Le

Chateau (Chester House). The exotics were worth $10.80 (exacta) and $31 (1-5-3

trifecta).

Lear's Princess began her career on Keeneland's Polytrack in late April,

breaking her maiden by a nose. She moved to Belmont Park's turf for her next two

starts, adding an allowance and the Tweedside S. to her record, and was placed

against some of the best in her division when trying the dirt for the first time

in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). She was just a half-length back of

Octave (Unbridled's Song) on that day, and had that rival back in third when a

neck second in the

Alabama S. (G1) prior to this one. From a 6-4-2-0 mark, Lear's Princess has now earned

$429,100.

Bred by Palides Investments N.V. Inc. in Kentucky, the bay lass is the second

registered foal out of the unraced Pretty City (Carson City), who has since

produced an unraced juvenile colt named Crowned General (General Royal), an

unnamed yearling filly by Runaway Groom and a 2007 filly by Matty G. Pretty City

herself counts My Big Boy (Our Hero), hero of the 1988 Bernard Baruch H. (G1),

as a half-sibling.

Lear's Princess brought $60,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, then sold

for $110,000 to her current connections as an OBS March two-year-old in training

last year.