Sweet Hope hangs tough in Endine score

High Bank Syndicate's SWEET HOPE (Lemon Drop Kid), a distant second to

champion Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie) in last month's Test S. (G1),

successfully stepped up against older fillies and mares in Saturday's $205,000

Endine H.

(G3) over a sloppy Delaware Park strip. A head behind Hungarian Boatbaby

(Silver Ghost) through an opening quarter-mile in :22, Sweet Hope eventually

seized control along the inside and had a half-length advantage after a :45

half-mile. Extending her lead to 1 1/2 lengths in the stretch, Sweet Hope held

off a late challenge from Cash's Girl (Northern Afleet) to prevail by a

half-length in a time of 1:10 for six furlongs.

The 8-5 choice in a field of seven, Sweet Hope returned $5.20, $3.20 and

$2.60 while keying the $18.20 exacta, the $62 trifecta and $128.60 superfecta

(3-5-8-2). Cash's Girl, at 4-1, brought back $3.40 and $3 while Hungarian

Boatbaby held third 1 1/2 lengths further back and paid $3.20 at slightly less

than 3-1. Graeme Six (Graeme Hall) rounded out the superfecta, 1 1/2 lengths in

back of Hungarian Boatbaby, and was followed by Ticket to Seattle (Capote), My

Sister Sue (Broken Vow) and Bedside Story (Tale of the Cat). Elope (Gone West)

and Hadavision (Vision and Verse) were scratched.

Sweet Hope began her career in England but did not break her maiden until her

sixth start, a five-length romp over Polytrack at Lingfield last December. After

one more race in that country, she was transferred to trainer Steve Sherman in

California. She won her debut on dirt at Bay Meadows in May, then broke slowly

in a fourth-place effort in the Railbird S. (G3) at Hollywood Park. Sent to

trainer Larry Jones at Delaware Park, Sweet Hope promptly won the Beautiful Day

S. on June 23 prior to her runner-up finish in the Test. Sweet Hope elevated her

mark to 12-4-1-2 with earnings of $242,209.

Bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate, Sweet Hope is out of

the multiple stakes winner High Heeled Hope (Salt Lake), who placed in both the

Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) and Las Virgenes S. (G1), which makes her a

half-sister to the stakes-placed Highgate Park (A.P. Indy) and a 2008 filly by

Bernstein. Sweet Hope was a $320,000 purchase at the 2007 Keeneland April

Two-Year-Old in Training Sale.