Dancing Solo earned her second stakes win in a row over the Monmouth Park turf with a sharp effort in the $103,000 Boiling Springs Stakes (gr. IIIT) June 23 (VIDEO).
Joe Bravo, who teamed with Dancing Solo for the first time to capture the Little Silver Stakes at Monmouth May 27, picked up his fourth win of the day.
Dancing Solo, sent off as the 9-5 second choice, won the 1 1/16-mile test for 3-year-old fillies by 1 1/2 lengths in a time of 1:41.99 on firm turf.
“The plan was to be a little closer to the pace today since there wasn’t much speed in the race,” Bravo said. “She settled exactly where I wanted to be and in the stretch she was very powerful.”
Todd Pletcher trains Dancing Solo, who was bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum and is owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables. The chestnut filly by Giant's Causeway --Dancing Alone, by Kingmambo was a $100,000 purchase at the 2010 Keeneland September yearing sale.
Bravo had Dancing Solo, who was pulling early, in a nice stalking position on the inside of pacesetter Cheimon, who expanded her early lead to two lengths while posting dawdling fractions of :24.20 and :48.76. Dancing Solo launched her bid rounding the far turn, closing the gap to a half-length after six furlongs in 1:13.11.
As Cheimon weakened, Dancing Solo took over in upper stretch to lead by 1 1/2 lengths over the oncoming Zultanite and Somali Lemonade. She held sway from the furlong pole to win comfortably under some urging.
Zultanite, ridden by Paco Lopez, edged 8-5 favorite Somalia Lemonade and Joe Rocco Jr. by a half-length for second.
Dancing Solo improved her career record to 3-2-2 in 10 starts with her first graded-stakes score. Runner-up in the Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III) on Polytrack at Turfway Park March 24, she extended her earnings to $163,105.
The winner carried 118 pounds and paid $5.60, $3.20, and $2.60. Zultanite, runner-up in the Sands Point Stakes (gr. IIT) at Belmont Park in her most recent start May 28 for trainer David Donk, returned $4 and $2.60 and rounded out a $20.20 exacta. Somali Lemonade, who came into the race as the lone graded- stakes winner in the field, paid $2.60 to show.
Cheimon finished 1 3/4 lengths farther back in fourth. She was followed by Glamour N Glory, Destiny's Child, and Senator Beck. There were two scratches: Hearts of Red and Zucchini Flower.
Earlier on the card, Bravo booted home Rogue ($12) in the fourth race, Keep the Canoli ($6.60) in the fifth, and Not a Give ($5.40) in the 10th.
