Lady Shelia Stable's Holiday Disguise closed late to best her rivals in the $150,000 Distaff Handicap (G3), her graded stakes debut, April 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
After breaking alertly under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Holiday Disguise stalked from fourth position, as stablemate Sounds Delicious set swift fractions of :22.41 and :44.99 through a half-mile.
At the quarter pole Holiday Disguise moved to the four-path, as Sounds Delicious remained on the lead with pressure from odds-on favorite Divine Miss Grey and 13-1 longshot Torrent. In late stretch the quartet hooked up and battled to the wire, but Holiday Disguise pulled away in the final strides to win by a length.
The final time for the seven-furlong distance was 1:22.98.
"I got a perfect trip," Ortiz said. "We didn't think she was going to break that quick out of there, but she did, and it's been hard to come from off the pace today, so I just decided to let her be there, and she was there for me at the end."
The winner brought $10.20 for a $2 win wager, and the 4-year-old Harlan's Holiday filly boosted her earnings to $329,150.
"They went pretty fast early," said winning trainer Linda Rice. "(Holiday Disguise) ran terrific, and to get a win in a graded stakes race—it's really great for her. She's versatile. Our plan was for her to settle off of it for a bit, and Irad rode her beautifully. She's great at seven-eighths, she's OK at six, and can probably run a mile well, so she's quite versatile, similar to her sister, Midnight Disguise."
Rice said after the race she was considering a next start in the $250,000 Ruffian Stakes (G2) May 6 at Belmont Park for Holiday Disguise.
Following the disqualification of Sounds Delicious from second to fourth, the final order of finish after Holiday's Disguise was Divine Miss Grey, Torrent, Sounds Delicious, Picco Uno, Berned, and Anydayismyday.
