TOMMY Adds to Her Gaudy Stats.

The Black Betty Handicap Stakes
Grade II
A mile and one eighth on Firm Turf
$200,000
Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up

I mentioned in my preview that this was an incredibly tight, and evenly matched race but in the end there were two horses that ran away and then duked it out with each other. SCOTIAN SAINT showed a lot of heart but in the end it was the four year old well bred filly TOMMY that proved once again that she sure knows how to finish. The Black Betty Handicap Stakes was run with a sizzling 109 Speed Figure and showed two horses that look to do some damage in Graded races in the coming year.

This win gives TOMMY an amazing eight wins and over half a million in earnings in her ten races. Her other two races were a second and third and the second was in the most recent Equinics. She is on a roll that can make trainer ArtistWay dream about some really big dreams now. The Danzig filly with lots of Northern Dancer genes seems to love this distance and has really found her groove.

COLD STORAGE jumped out to the early lead in this one and finished a respectable fourth and was one of four horses in the race with a triple digit speed figure. LIGHT SPECTRUM followed the two leaders and finished third. The real race was between the winner and SCOTIAN SAINT though. TOMMY took the lead just before the final turn and SAINT moved up on his shoulder and looked ready to blow by her. The two went shoulder to shoulder around the turn and down the stretch and seemingly nothing that was thrown at her was going to keep the winner from getting to the wire first. A real show of heart by both ladies.

TOMMY moved up into 27th in the rankings and it remains to be seen where ArtistWay intends to point her and her gaudy record next. I am assuming that a GI is in her near future and I hope to be there to watch.

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PazJazz