John E. Salzman Sr. trains the filly, who earned $155,000 for owner Kenneth Taylor, pushing her career earnings past $500,000. Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat - Begin, by Hatchet Man) was bred in Kentucky by P. McLean Sr., P. McLean Jr., M. McLean,P. Feringa Jr., et al.Sent off as the 3-1 second choice, Xtra Heat returned $8.40 and $4.60. 25-1 Mountain Bird paid $8.80 for the place. The winning exacta combination returned $161. There was no show wagering. (Chart, Equibase)
Xtra Heat set a quick pace under pressure from Raging Fever and drew off approaching the stretch to lead a strung-out field to the wire in Sunday's $250,000 Stonerside Beaumont Stakes (gr. II). Xtra Heat stopped the timer after running the about seven furlongs in 1:27.86 on a fast track and finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of longshot Mountain Bird. 3-5 favorite Raging Fever was 3 1/4 lengths farther back, with Sweet Nanette and Carafe completing the order of finish."Approaching the wire, she threw her ears up, dropped her lead and looked around -- that's when I had to get after her," said winning jockey Rick Wilson. "She'll rate. She will come from off the pace. I took her back the first time she ran (June 30, 2000), and she just blew to the lead when I asked her."Undefeated in sprints, Xtra Heat has now won 12 of 13 career races, with her lone defeat coming in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I). The Beaumont marks her 11th stakes win and third in a graded stakes. Since finishing tenth in the Breeders' Cup, Xtra Heat has reeled off six straight victories, including the Cicada Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct last month.