Dust and Diamonds shines in Gallant Bloom Handicap

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

Gallant Bloom Handicap Entries: Musical Romance, Turbulent Descent prep for Breeders' Cup

The $200,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap (gr. II), to be run on Saturday at Belmont Park, could be mistaken for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint if one didn't know better. The 6-1/2 furlong sprint has drawn a fantastic field of ten, including Musical Romance, Turbulent Descent, and Emma's Encore.

Musical Romance stamped herself as a race mare of the highest caliber last year when she won the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint with a decisive run along the inside. She was subsequently awarded the Eclipse award as the best filly sprinter in the country, and she doesn't seem to have lost anything this year. Last time out, she won the Princess Rooney Handicap (gr. I) at Calder Race Course in game fashion, and figures to have an excellent shot at adding this race to her record as well.

Her main opposition may come from Turbulent Descent, winner of four grade I races including the Ballerina Stakes (gr. I) last time out. The beaten favorite in last year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, she enters this race in excellent form and may actually improve in her second start for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Emma's Encore, one of two three-year-olds in the field, enters this race off of consecutive victories in the Victory Ride Stakes (gr. III) and Prioress Stakes (gr. I). Trained by Allen Jerkens, the filly possesses a terrific turn-of-foot, and if the early pace is sufficient, she may have the talent to pull off a mild upset.

Judy the Beauty, beaten a nose by Emma's Encore in the Prioress, is also entered and should be at her best while making her third start of the year.

Entries:

PP	Horse	Weight	Jockey	Trainer
1	Roman Treasure	115	Jose Lezcano	Michael Hushion
2	Island Bound	116	Edgar Prado	Ian Wilkes
3	Dust and Diamonds	114	Julien Leparoux	Steve Asmussen
4	Judy the Beauty	115	Joel Rosario	Wesley Ward
5	C C's Pal	119	Alan Garcia	Richard Dutrow, Jr.
6	Mildly Offensive	116	Christopher DeCarlo	Todd Pletcher
7	Emma's Encore	116	Rosie Napravnik	Allen Jerkens
8	Risky Rachel	114	Javier Castellano	Juan Coronel
9	Musical Romance	122	Juan Leyva	William Kaplan
10	Turbulent Descent	121	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher

-Keelerman

IT'S TRICKY WINS THE DISTAFF HANDICAP!

It's Tricky brought her 2012 record to a perfect 2-for-2 with an authoritative victory in Aqueduct's $200,000 Distaff Handicap (gr. II), winning by three lengths despite appearing hopelessly beaten around the turn.

Sent off as the 3-5 favorite against four rivals, It's Tricky got off to a good start and settled into the third position early on as Dontbeshy I'll Buy and Nicole H set a good pace of :22.51 and :45.13. White Merlot was right behind them in fourth, followed by stretch-running C C's Pal.