by Ron Parker

Frank Calabrese’s Dreaming of Anna, last year’s two-year-old champion filly, took the lead at the start of the $200,000 Pucker Up Stakes (G3) at Arlington Park and rolled to a 4 1/4-length victory over ten challengers in the 1 1/8-mile turf contest.

Jockey E. T. Baird quickly guided Dreaming of Anna to the lead near the rail and the Wayne Catalano trainee was never challenged en route to her third consecutive victory.

The Rahy filly crossed the finish line still full of run in 1:48.20 on turf rated as firm, with Touch My Soul (Fr) finishing with a late run to take second place, a nose in front of Bel Air Beauty.

Dreaming of Anna was undefeated last year in four starts on both dirt and turf, topping that campaign with a wire-to-wire victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on the main track at Churchill Downs.

The chestnut lost her first three starts this year, including her only off-the-board finish to Rags to Riches in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 4, but got back on track after that, winning Arlington’s Double Delta Stakes on June 2 and the Virginia Oaks on July 21 at Colonial Downs in her previous start.

Out of the Broad Brush mare Justenuffheart, Dreaming of Anna has won seven of ten career starts and earned $1,558,172.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Ron Parker is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer