Victoria's Wildcat makes winning stakes debut in Eight Belles

Bob and Victoria Bayer & Jonathan Metcalf's VICTORIA'S WILDCAT

(Bellamy Road) entered Friday's $118,800

Eight Belles S. (G3) at Churchill Downs off back-to-back allowance

wins, but was trying stakes company for the first time in the

seven-furlong test.

The Bob Hess Jr. trainee passed her black-type test with flying

colors, rallying down the outside to overtake dueling leaders Home Sweet

Aspen (Candy Ride [Arg]) and Honey Chile (Invisible Ink) before drawing

off to score by 2 1/4 lengths on the wire. With jockey Kent Desormeaux

aboard, the dark bay miss stopped the clock in 1:23 and returned $15.20,

$6.20 and $4.40 as the 6-1 fifth choice.

"This is what we always thought we had, and it has finally all came

together," Hess said. "She bruised her foot in January. We thought she

hurt herself, but it was just a bruise and an abscess. We lost some time

in January with her. She's going to be a neat filly the rest of the year

and next year. She's very healthy. We'll sit down and talk about what's

next -- maybe something in New York or here."

"This is like a case of brotherly love. (Trainer) Bob (Hess) has been

putting me on horses since 1990. It sure is good to win one for him,"

Desormeaux said. "The first 100 yards out of the gate I got hazed. She

was having trouble switching her leads and she fell back behind them.

But she got it going and in the end it unfolded just like I'd hoped.

"It helps when you've got the horse to do it. It's like going for

that hole and having the hole go faster than you. Today we were fast

enough to get right on through."

Home Sweet Aspen set the opening half-mile in splits of :22 and :44

2/5, with Honey Chile keeping in close attendance. That Grade 2-placed

filly challenged on the turn, getting her head in front of Home Sweet

Aspen through three-quarters in 1:09 4/5, but by that point Desormeaux

had pushed the button on Victoria's Wildcat. The sophomore flew past the

battling duo, and Home Sweet Aspen just managed to get her nose down

first on the line to take second over Honey Chile.

"He (jockey Ramon Dominguez) felt like she didn't handle the race

track, but I don't know. That's kind of a lame excuse, I think. I don't

know," trainer Dan Peitz said of beaten favorite Arienza. "I'm going to

get back there and see how she is. I'll know more tomorrow probably

about where we're at. Hopefully, she will be good."

Victoria's Wildcat opened her career in California last fall, running

fourth in a pair of Del Mar maidens on the synthetic Polytrack, and

filled that same spot when transferring to Keeneland's version of that

track. Hess shipped her to Churchill Downs and ran her on the dirt there

next out, and the dark bay lass just missed by a neck. She closed out

her juvenile season with a two-length victory against allowance rivals

in late November, and made just one start this year prior to Friday's

race, posting a nose score in another allowance on March 19.

The

winner's share of the Eight Belles boosted the sophomore's lifetime

earnings to $151,571, and she now owns a 7-3-1-0 career mark.

Bred in Kentucky by Marvin Little Jr., Victoria's Wildcat sold to the

Bayer's as a $20,000 Keeneland September yearling. She is out of the

unraced Flaming Mirage (Woodman), who produced last year's

Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1) hero Kinsale King (Yankee Victor).

Victoria's Wildcat also has a pair of younger half-siblings in the

unraced juvenile colt Gambling Don (Forest Danger) and a 2011 filly by

Sky Mesa.