Brazilian-bred mare bursts away to a 51/2-length victory under Chris McCarron

CO-OWNER AARON Jones was feeling the heat on June 25, and not all of his discomfort was caused by unseasonably humid Southern California weather.

Vanity H. (G1)
Hollywood Park, June 25, $300,000, 11/8 miles, fast, 1:48.54
1—RIBOLETTA (BRZ), m. 5, Roi Normand— =Joy Valley (Brz), by =Ghadeer (Fr).
2—Speaking of Time, f. 4, Gilded Time—Terrys Wild Again, by Wild Again.
3—Excellent Meeting, f. 4, General Meeting—Fitted Crown, by Chief's Crown.

Jones, trying to stay cool under a straw hat and seersucker sports jacket, had been a bit nervous before his and wife Marie's Riboletta (Brz) romped to a 5½-length victory in the $300,000 Vanity Handicap (G1). The Vanity's 123-pound highweight, she was favored at 3-to-5.

After earlier victories here in the Hawthorne (G2) and Milady Breeders' Cup (G1) Handicaps, Riboletta became only the fourth horse to sweep the three-race series for fillies and mares on the dirt, joining Cascapedia (1977), Bayakoa (Arg) (1989), and Brought to Mind (1991).

Ridden confidently by Chris McCarron, the five-year-old mare stalked the early pace set by Cookin Vickie, took command entering the far turn, and drew away steadily in the stretch. She covered the Vanity's 11/8miles in 1:48.54 on a fast track.

Speaking of Time, the second-longest shot in the field of six at 30.60-to-1, rallied through the stretch to finish second. Excellent Meeting, the 2.40-to-1 second choice, finished third, another 21/2 lengths back and a half-length in front of Bordelaise (Arg), the 4-to-1 third choice.

Riboletta had about as much trouble with the field as boxer Mike Tyson in a first-round knockout in Scotland a day earlier. Posting her fourth graded stakes victory of the year, the South American import raised her earnings to $775,103 with her tenth triumph in 24 starts.

Chilean-born Eduardo Inda, who took over the mare's training at the beginning of the year after Jones transferred his horses from trainer Bob Baffert to him, was an assistant to Racing Hall of Famer Ron McAnally when he swept the series with Bayakoa and Brought To Mind.

"Bayakoa was a special mare, the best I have ever been around," Inda said of the two-time champion older female. "But Riboletta is getting to be right there with her. You can't ask for any more than what she's done in her last two races. We can lay back if we have to, and she showed that today."

Inda and Jones are considering options at Del Mar racetrack, New York, and Kentucky during the next few months. The Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) remains a distant question mark for the mare, who is not nominated to the $2-million race. "I'm a rather prudent fellow, and I haven't woke up in a cold sweat yet with the realization I was going to put $400,000 out there just to get into one race," Jones said of the supplementary fee. "But I would love to do it for Eduardo's sake. He's done such a great job with her."

McAnally, the leader with four Vanity victories, settled for fourth place with Bordelaise, while trainer Lewis Cenicola, another former McAnally aide who worked with Inda and galloped John Henry, settled for fifth with early pacesetter Cookin Vickie.

Barry Abrams, trainer of Speaking of Time, was nearly as happy as Inda. "This is like winning a million-dollar race for us," he said of the Grade 1 placing.

Riboletta, who won the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita Park in March, became only the sixth mare to sweep the two meet divisional championships in the same year, joining an elite cast of Busher, Silver Spoon, Bayakoa, Paseana (Arg), and Manistique. "I don't know how much she won by, but I don't think any horse in the United States could have beaten her today," said Jones.

Queenie Belle's Princess

Breeder Elliott Alexander of Beverly Hills watched nervously in the paddock as Queenie Belle was made the favorite for the $150,000 Princess Stakes (G2) for three-year-old fillies June 24.

Princess S. (G2)
Hollywood Park, June 24, $150,000, 11/16 miles, fast, 1:43.57
1—QUEENIE BELLE, f. 3, Bertrando—Lady Argyle, by Don B.
2—Saudi Poetry, f. 3, Storm Cat—Gone to Venus, by Gone West.
3—Cash Run, f. 3, Seeking the Gold—Shared Interest, by Pleasant Colony.

Alexander owns Lady Argyle, an unraced 13-year-old broodmare who produced Queenie Belle after being bred to Bertrando at River Edge Farm in California. Queenie Belle, sold to Gary Seidler of Beverly Hills for $130,000 at the 1999 Barretts March two-year-olds in training sale, was the tepid 2.20-to-1 choice over Saudi Poetry, a $1.7-million yearling purchase, and Cash Run, a $1.2-million yearling buy.

But the public's confidence was vindicated, and Alexander's nerves were calmed after Queenie Belle scored her first stakes victory with a two-length triumph over Saudi Poetry, the 2.50-to-1 second choice, in 1:43.57 for 11/16 miles. Cash Run, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), finished third, another 31/2 lengths back, as the 2.70-to-1 third choice. Alexander explained that he had a deal with Ed Nahem and the late Marshall Naify, Bertrando's owners, that they would alternate years as the breeder of record. "They're named as breeders of Queenie Belle, but I have the mare," he said.

Alexander is looking forward to the racing debut of her two-year-old full sister, Toe in the Water, currently trained by Fabio Nor at San Luis Rey Downs for John and Jerry Amerman. "And I've got a yearling half brother by In Excess (Ire) and a half sister by General Meeting four weeks old," he said.

"After 30 years of breeding, this is my biggest victory, my first Grade 2. Canon Can, a half brother to this horse, won a Group 3 at Royal Ascot and is still racing at seven."

Queenie Belle foiled the aspirations of Ahmed bin Salman, who traveled from England after watching budding star Subtle Power win the King Edward VII Stakes (Eng-G2) on June 23 at Royal Ascot to cheer for Saudi Poetry. The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Storm Cat filly, making her fourth start, stumbled at the start and rallied four wide in the stretch from fifth position to earn the place.

Cash Run became the first Breeders' Cup winner to try the Princess since Eliza in 1993, and her performance was similar. Eliza faded to fourth as the 3-to-10 favorite, eight lengths behind winner Fit to Lead.

Cash Run, who like Eliza won the Breeders' Cup at Gulfstream Park and made her first Hollywood Park start in the Princess, tired in the stretch after pressing the pace.

With no pace in the Princess after Wired to Fly was restrained off the pace, jockey Brice Blanc rated Queenie Belle just off the lead in second before taking command after six furlongs. Queenie Belle, sixth on the grass in the Honeymoon Handicap (G2) and fourth against colts in the Snow Chief Stakes for California-breds in her last two outings, recorded her fourth victory in 11 starts and raised her earnings to $290,620. She will probably return in the $150,000 Hollywood Oaks (G2) at 11/8 miles July 22.

FINISH LINES—McCarron completed a stakes double by guiding highly regarded Bienamado to a convincing victory in the $78,450 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap. Bienamado, a four-year-old son of Bien Bien making his United States debut, covered 1¼ miles on turf in 1:58.93 as the 1.70-to-1 favorite. In Bienamado, trainer Juan "Paco" Gonzalez appears to have a leading threat for the distance grass races in the second half of the year. He was bred by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery and is owned by them and Robert Sangster. … Squirtle Squirt established himself as the favorite for the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (G3) on July 23 with his third straight victory, a six-length triumph in the $84,000 Haggin Stakes for two-year-olds, covering 51/2 furlongs in 1:04.17 on June 25. "He reminded me a lot of Bold Forbes, who I used to gallop for Laz Barrera in the 1970s," trainer Joe Garcia Jr. said of the Marquetry colt he bought for $25,000 at the March Barretts two-year-olds in training sale for owner David Lanzman. Laffit Pincay Jr. rode the 1.30-to-1 favorite. ... Bertrando also sired I've Decided, a three-year-old gelding who won a $51,765 allowance race at 17.40-to-1 odds in his first try on grass on June 24. John Shirreffs sent out the winner for Naify's 505 Farms, which will disperse its racing stock of more than 20 horses at a special Barretts sale on July 22. Horses owned by 505 are wearing saddlecloths with their hip numbers during training hours here. … Robby Albarado, a leading Midwest jockey, will move his tack to the Southern California circuit after the conclusion of the Churchill Downs meet on July 9. ... A 5,040-to-1 shot clicked in the seventh race on June 22 when horses numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 finished in that order. ... Probable starters for the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G1) on July 9 include General Challenge, Cat Thief, Out of Mind, Big Ten, Chester House, David, K One King, and Early Pioneer.