Touching Beauty captures trouble-filled Comely

Gainesway Stable and Joseph Cornacchia's TOUCHING BEAUTY (Tapit) parlayed a

stalking trip into a half-length victory in Saturday's $100,000

Comely S.

(G3) at Aqueduct, avoiding trouble along the inside that knocked 4-5

favorite She'll Be Doggone (Gone West) out of contention. The James

Jerkens-trained winner notched her first stakes win after the completing the

fast one-turn mile in 1:37 4/5 beneath Mike Luzzi.

Touching Beauty settled in three path down the backstretch, a couple of

lengths back of pacesetter Anchorage (Tapit), who reeled off opening splits of

:23 2/5 and :47 2/5. She'll Be Doggone was close to the pace along the inside,

patiently waiting for a spot to open as Touching Beauty began inching closer to

the front as the field reached the conclusion of the far turn. Luzzi gave

Touching Beauty her cue after entering the stretch and the bay lass responded,

surging to the lead on the far outside.

When Anchorage drifted off the rail in upper stretch, jockey Edgar Prado

attempted to guide She'll Be Doggone through the opening but the gap was

suddenly lost as Anchorage angled back toward the rail, forcing Prado to take a

strong hold as his mount slammed into the rail. She proved extremely fortunate

not to go down, but all hope was lost as she lost her action due to the mishap,

eventually winding up seventh among eight sophomore fillies.

Off as the 5-1 second choice, Touching Beauty paid $12, $7.30 and $4.90 after

easily withstanding the late run of Speightful Affair (Speightstown), who gave

back $8.50 and $4.30 for the place at 7-1. It was a half-length back to the 11-1

C C's Pal (Alex's Pal), who totaled $6.10 for third. Volare Cantare (Roman

Ruler) and Anchorage came next under the wire, and Roman Chestnut (Roman Ruler)

trailed the field. The exotics returned $66.60 (exacta), $376.50 (trifecta) and

$1,758 (8-7-2-1 superfecta).

"If there ever was a time she was going to win going a mile, this was it,"

said Jerkens of Touching Beauty, who finished a well-beaten sixth in her only

previous start beyond seven furlongs. "She's probably improving with more

racing. Down in Florida, she raced once in the beginning of the meet, and once

at the end, and her last was a nice, seven-furlong prep. We might look at a race

like the (six-furlong) Prioress (G1) (at Belmont Park on July 4). It's worth a

try, a Grade 1, you never know. I'm not sure if she's Acorn (G1) (at Belmont on

June 5) material; it all depends on who runs."

Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway and Winchell Thoroughbreds, Touching Beauty

sold for $35,000 as a 2008 Keeneland January yearling and commanded a $235,000

price tag at last year's Fasig-Tipton Florida February two-year-old sale. She's

out of stakes winner Victory Road (Ikari), who has also produced three full

siblings to Saturday's winner: stakes runner-up Noisy Feet, the unraced juvenile

colt Tapaway and a yearling colt. This is the female family of Grade 3 queen

Dewars Rocks (Big Mukora).

Touching Beauty second in both the Matron S. (G2) and Silent Turn S. in 20009

and was exiting a March 14 allowance score at Gulfstream Park. She's now earned

$181,450 from a 7-3-2-0 line.