Susan and Jim Hill's Solid Appeal charged from just off the pace to win the $202,800 Dance Smartly Stakes (Can-II) (VIDEO) at Woodbine July 7. The nine-furlong race over Polytrack for older fillies and mares was part of three major races on the Queen's Plate program.
Solid Appeal, with Jesse Campbell aboard, sat just off the pace set by Coffee Clique and Hard Not to Like in the Dance Smartly, and came with a three-wide move around the far turn to take command at the eighth pole and was clear by two lengths at the wire. Julie's Love rallied from seventh early for second, finishing a half-length ahead of the Irish-bred No Explaining. Irish Mission, the 3-1 favorite and last year's winner of the Woodbine Oaks, wound up finishing seventh in the 10-horse field.
"Wow is all I have to say, she just ran huge," said Campbell. "Just like her race six weeks ago, she popped out of the gate running. We weren't going that fast and she was very comfortable. She just traveled so well to the quarter pole and when I asked her, she actually moved quicker than I thought she was going to. I didn't want to make the lead that soon, but thank God I had that much horse. This horse is as confident as a horse can get."
The Reade Baker-trained Solid Appeal came into the Dance Smartly off a similar performance May 25 in the one-mile Nassau Stakes (Can-II), getting a mile in 1:34.01 while topping Irish Mission by a length. She also won her 2013 debut, rallying from eighth to win a 1 1/16-mile allowance race over the Polytrack at Keeneland in late April.
In all Solid Appeal has five wins, two seconds, and two thirds from 14 starts and has earned $397,841.
Sent off the fourth choice in the Dance Smartly, the 4-year-old Solid Appeal paid $13.10, $6.60, and $5.20. Julie's Love paid $6.20 and $5.40 while No Explaining returned $6.40. The $2 10-1 exacta paid $96.30.
No Explaining was followed by Coffee Clique, Northern Passion, Hard Not to Like, Irish Mission, Moment of Majesty, Distorted Legacy, and Peche Mobilee.
The Dance Smartly winner is a daughter of Successful Appeal , the sire of 42 stakes winners including 2013 grade III winner Successful Dan, a half brother to last year's Horse of the Year Wise Dan.
Solid Appeal is the fifth foal out of the Woodman mare Star of the River. She is a half sister to 2011 stakes winner It Tiz (by Tiznow ) and stakes-placed Meetmeinthewoods (by General Meeting). Bred by the late John C. Mabee, Star of the Woods--carrying It Tiz--was sold to John Stuart's Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, agent, for $62,000 at the 2006 Keeneland November breeding stock sale from Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
The Hills purchased Solid Appeal for $100,000 as a weanling at the 2009 November sale from Select Bloodstock, Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, agent.
The Hills' day would get better. Their Go Blue Or Go Home, winner of the Karl Boyes Memorial Stakes June 10 at Presque Isle Downs, would go wire to wire in the Highlander Stakes Presented by Pizzaville(Can-III).