Dust and Diamonds, lightly regarded at nearly 9-1, brought her winning streak to three consecutive races with an authoritative victory in the $200,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park.
Ridden to victory by Julien Leparoux, Dust and Diamonds broke quickest of all in the field of eight but was soon reeled back to race in second while Roman Treasure sprinted away to a two-length lead while running the opening quarter mile in a quick :21.82 seconds. Judy the Beauty and Musical Romance were rating comfortably in third and fourth, followed then by heavily favored Turbulent Descent, C C's Pal, Emma's Encore, and Island Bound.
Roman Treasure continued to lead through a half-mile in :44.49 seconds, but her early efforts left her with nothing in the tank for the stretch drive, and she retreated at the top of the stretch. This allowed Dust and Diamonds to seize command of the lead, which she did with complete authority. Judy the Beauty put in a sustained run on the outside to finish second but was never a match for the winner, who coasted home 1 1/4 lengths in front while stopping the clock for 6-1/2 furlongs in 1:14.71, just 0.25 seconds off of the track record set by Bear Fan in 2004.
Musical Romance turned in a mild rally to finish third, 3 1/4 lengths behind Judy the Beauty. Turbulent Descent loomed briefly around the turn before flattening out to finish fifth, while Roman Treasure, Emma's Encore, C C's Pal, and Island Bound completed the order of finish.
Trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by Padua Stables, Dust and Diamonds is a four-year-old daughter of Vindication out of the Gone West mare Majestically. She has now compiled a record of 5-0-4 from 9 starts with earnings of $256,260.
-Keelerman
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