Santos, Dat You Miz Blue Team Up in Iroquois

Jose Santos made the first part of New York Showcase Day his personal showcase, winning his third straight stakes race Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park with Cynthia Knight's Dat You Miz Blue.

Dat you Miz Blue scored by five lengths in the 25th running of the $125,000 Iroquois Handicap for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

She pulled away from a challenge from last year's Iroquois winner Maddie May and cruised home in 1:22 4/5.

"I felt like a winner every step of the way," Santos said. "I had a strong hold of her and she wanted to go. I've never been on her before. I never realized how good she really is. My agent was trying to get me on this horse for a long time, and I'm glad he finally did. I'm having a great day."

A winner of 13 of 31 starts and earnings of nearly $750,000, Dat You Miz Blue was third in the slop in Saratoga's Honorable Miss (gr. III) and third to Tates Creek in the grassy Noble Damsel (gr. III) at Belmont on Sept. 21.

Back in against fellow state-breds, the 5-year-old Cure The Blues mare appeared to have a class edge.

Under Santos, she stalked in second as Runaway Tiger got the first quarter in :22 4/5. Dat You Miz Blue then took charge, getting the half in :45 3/5, facing the challenge from Maddie May and drawing away an easy winner. She returned $6.20 to win.

"If she was anything like she was like year, she had to handle this bunch," said trainer Jimmy Jerkens. "She had been running off a bit on the turf. And her race in the Honorable Miss wasn't bad. It was enough to make me think she would be tough in here today. She's in a good frame of mind right now. Turf seems to have made her a little happier. When I saw her sitting second like that with the hold on her, something disastrous would have had to happen for her to lose."

Princess Dixie was up for second and favored Maddie May checked in third.

(Chart, Equibase)