by Phil Janack

By the time Sunday morning turned to afternoon, Proud Spell was already back in her stall at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, which is a drive of about 5 1/2 hours from Saratoga Race Course.

Larry Jones, Proud Spell's trainer, driver, and exercise rider, left Saratoga shortly after 6 a.m. EDT, a dozen hours following her thrilling victory over Music Note in the $600,000 Alabama Stakes (G1), the premier three-year-old filly race of the summer.

"Right now, everything looks good," Jones said. "She's back home and doing quite well. Yesterday was just a great feeling, really just a great day all the way around. You couldn't ask for anything more."

Proud Spell’s Alabama win not only avenged a nightmarish loss to Music Note in the Mother Goose Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on June 28, but also allowed her to wrest the division lead away from Music Note, who won four straight starts, including consecutive Grade 1 victories, entering the Alabama.

Proud Spell has now won the Alabama, Kentucky Oaks (G1), Delaware Oaks (G2), and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in 2008. In the Fair Grounds Oaks, Proud Spell handed 2007 champion two-year-old filly Indian Blessing her first career loss.

Since 1936, eight fillies have won both the Kentucky Oaks and Alabama with three going on to divisional championships: Open Mind (1989), Silverbulletday (1999), and Farda Amiga (2002).

The eight fillies to complete the sweep who were not named champions were Make Sail (1960), Quaze Quilt (1974), Optimistic Gal (1976), White Star Line (1978), and Flute (2001).

"It's hard to think you could win both the biggest three-year-old filly races in the year and not be the Eclipse champion," Jones said. "She was the first to knock off a champion in Indian Blessing, and she's won every major Oaks there is around. I certainly think she's deserving."

Jones was pleased to see Proud Spell win back the respect she earned in the Kentucky Oaks. She had a rough trip while finishing second to Music Note in the Mother Goose and subsequently was disqualified to third for interference in the stretch.

Proud Spell emerged from the Mother Goose with several lacerations but she bounced back strongly and raced 14 days later, winning the $500,000 Delaware Oaks (G2) by three-quarters of a length on July 12.

On July 19, Music Note powered to an 11-length romp in the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1).

"I was a little disappointed that everybody got off Proud Spell's bandwagon because she had won the Delaware Oaks," Jones said. "Everyone said it looked like she had to work to win that race; I guess so, coming back in two weeks.

"I think they downplayed the Delaware Oaks way too much and then instantly gave Music Note, I thought, more credit than maybe she deserved in winning the Coaching Club. But, she was impressive. I'll be honest with you, it was hard not to like Music Note after that race. I was right along with them."

Jones is unsure where Proud Spell would run next, but mentioned the $750,000 Fitz Dixon Cotillion Stakes (G2) at Philadelphia Park on September 20 as a possibility.

Rick Mettee, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor, said Sunday morning that both Music Note and Godolphin-owned stablemate Little Belle, third in the Alabama, came out of the race in good shape.

"They came out of it real good. We're real, real happy with them," Mettee said. "They both scoped clean and cooled out fine, and they were both good this morning."

The Alabama was the first loss for Music Note since a fourth-place finish in her career debut on October 14. Music Note returned 18 days later to earn her first win before she was put away for the year and transferred to Mettee from trainer Tom Albertrani.

Music Note did not make her first start as a three-year-old get until winning an entry-level allowance race at Belmont on May 22. She followed with back-to-back Grade 1 scores.

"She's done a lot in a short time," Mettee said. "When [Proud Spell] won the Kentucky Oaks, this filly hadn't even run yet this year. She's kind of done a lot quickly. These fillies, they don't always fire every time, but she showed up yesterday and fired."

Mettee said bin Suroor felt the best destination for Music Note may be the $250,000 Gazelle Stakes (G1) on September 13 at Belmont Park, where she has three wins in as many starts.

"Everybody keeps telling me it was a great race, so I'm going to take their word for it," Mettee said of the Alabama. "Obviously, the ramifications of that could be huge, getting beat a head in that race. They've each won Grade 1's, but that filly won the Alabama and the Kentucky Oaks. You've got to respect that."

Phil Janack is a New York-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent