Divided Attention Claims First Stakes Win

Godolphin Racing's Divided Attention claimed her first stakes victory, taking the $100,000 Ladies Handicap over two-time grade I winner Belle Gallantey Feb. 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack .

The A.P. Indy half sister to 2005 champion 2-year-old filly Folklore moved to the outside of pacesetter Penwith, along with Belle Gallantey, coming out of the final turn in the 1 1/8-mile race on the fast inner dirt course and drew away to win by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:55 flat.



Part of a coupled entry favored at 6-5, Divided Attention broke well but allowed stablemate Penwith to take the early lead. Penwith ran the first quarter in :24.14 and the half in :49.26 as Divided Attention fell back to fifth in the field of six older fillies and mares. With Belle Gallantey pressing the pace on the backstretch, Divided Attention sat three lengths behind the leaders before angling three wide on the turn as they reached the three-eighths marker in 1:14.18.

Divided Attention took over approaching the three-sixteenths pole and gradually drew clear while kept to her task by jockey Dylan Davis.



Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Divided Attention paid $4.40, $2.50 and $2.10. She was a late addition to the Ladies Handicap after the race was redrawn following its postponement due to winter weather conditions Jan. 31.



Bred in Kentucky by Darley out of Storm Cat mare Contrive, 4-year-old Divided Attention is 3-1-1 in nine career starts, posting her most recent win in an allowance race at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 23. Coming off a third-place finish with Davis in the listed Affectionately Stakes over Aqueduct's inner track Jan. 1, Divided Attention has now earned $255,900.

"It was a great trip," said Davis, son of retired jockey Robbie Davis. "I wanted her to sit back right behind the pace a little bit, a little closer than the last time (I rode her). She responded well, she was a little aggressive on the first turn but I got her to settle down. On the second turn she got a little more aggressive. No one else was pressuring the pace, so I just let her out to the three-path and we just kept on with it."



Belle Gallantey went off at 7-5, but could not return to her grade I-winning form for the third straight race. After winning the Delaware Handicap (gr. I) and Beldame Stakes (gr. I) in 2014, she finished ninth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) and fifth in the Affectionately. The runner-up paid $3.20 and $2.40.



It was 3 1/2 lengths back to third-place finisher Moment in Dixie, who paid $2.50. Shayjolie, Holiday's Jewel, and Penwith completed the order of finish.