NEWS
Amen Hallelujah handles surface switch in Davona Dale
Posted: Saturday, February 27, 2010 5:58 PM
AMEN HALLELUJAH
Coglianese Photos
To view the Davona Dale Stakes, click here.
by Mike Curry
Amen Hallelujah had no trouble in her first race on dirt, dispatching 1.30-to-1 favorite Bickersons entering the stretch and surging away to a dominant victory in the $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
The Montbrook filly was in complete control by the eighth pole and powered to a 6 1/4-length romp under Julien Leparoux. Amen Hallelujah completed the one-turn mile in 1:37.16 on a track rated as fast to solidify her credentials as a contender for the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on April 30.
Trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., Amen Hallelujah entered off a three-quarter-length score in the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) on January 16 on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita Park.
“I brought her back from California just to run in this race,” Dutrow said. “I’ve always thought she’d be better on dirt. She trains better on dirt than the synthetic. I really haven’t thought about what might be next.”
Leparoux kept Amen Hallelujah within a length of Forward Gal Stakes (G2) winner Bickersons, pressing that foe while saving ground on the inside. Amen Hallelujah raced comfortably through the turn and took over when given her cue, shaking off Bickersons within a few powerful strides to prevail at 2-to-1 odds.
“It was a good race for her. She ran very nice and easy today, and she went well over the track,” Leparoux said. “That other filly [Bickersons] is a nice filly, and my filly went up to her real easy and kept going.”
The first starter out of multiple stakes winner Sara’s Success, by Concorde’s Tune, Amen Hallelujah improved to four wins in eight starts and boosted her earnings to $312,370.
Bickersons faded in the stretch after setting the tempo through a half-mile in :47.54 and finished fourth in the six-horse field. Forward Gal runner-up Joanie’s Catch closed well for second at 26.90-to-1 odds, nipping third-place finisher Mambo Fever by a head.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
