Ce Ce Returns to Sparkling Form in Princess Rooney

The only grade 1 winner in an eight-horse field for the $350,000 Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes (G2) July 3 at Gulfstream Park, Bo Hirsch's homebred Ce Ce  returned to the form that saw her win twice at the highest level last year.

The Michael McCarthy trainee stormed from off the pace to give Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza a sweep of the Saturday stakes at Gulfstream after he took the $200,000 Smile Sprint Invitational Stakes (G3) one race earlier on Miles Ahead —a pickup mount after original rider Edwin Gonzalez took off due to being thrown in the previous race. 

"She's pretty impressive," Espinoza said. "She loves this track, it's a little different than what she's been running at."

Ce Ce settled along the rail in mid-pack on the backstretch as Heiressall  set a quick early pace, closely pressed by Pacific Gale  during a :22.55 first quarter. Pacific Gale, a two-time graded-stakes winner during the championship meet, took over through a half in :44.90, and was quickly joined by Sound Machine  to her outside.

Estilo Talentoso , the 6-5 favorite who got away slowly, made a sweeping move into contention on the turn into the stretch, only to be joined by Ce Ce to her inside. After splitting horses, the eventual winner sprinted away to a 3 1/4-length score. She ran seven furlongs in 1:21.94 as the 5-2 second choice, and returned $7.40 on a $2 win ticket.

Estilo Talentoso edged Sound Machine by a head for second.

"Today, she ran her race," Espinoza said. "They were rolling, the ones in front of me. I know they're going to get tired turning for home, so I just gave her enough time to split the horses."

It was the first graded stakes score for 5-year-old Ce Ce since the 2020 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) victory she earned on the heels of her first top-level win in the 2020 Beholder Mile Stakes (G1). The win was also a rebound after her fourth in the May 22 Santa Maria Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park, which came after a victorious April 17 season debut in allowance-level company at the California track. The daughter of Elusive Quality  wrapped upher 4-year-old season with a fifth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Keeneland.

Ce Ce earned a fees-paid berth to the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Del Mar with her victory in the Princess Rooney, a Breeders' Cup Challenge event.

McCarthy, who watched the Princess Rooney at Los Alamitos Race Course in Southern California, was pleased with how the race set up for his contender.

"I thought we were in a good spot," he said. "I was hoping to have a bit of a target to run at. I told Victor not to get in a hurry and not rush her out of there and ride her where she was comfortable. We were hoping for a nice stalking trip, and that we did. Around the turn it looked like we had plenty of run. It was just a matter of trying to get outside and finding our best stride, and we did that today."

"I thought she was overlooked last year. She won two grade 1 races back-to-back," McCarthy said. "After that we just couldn't find a track that was suitable for her. She was running on tracks in California that were a little bit deep and a little bit loose. She wants one that is a bit firmer and faster, and we found that today."

McCarthy said Ce Ce is likely to show up at Saratoga Race Course for her next start. The chestnut mare improved her record to 6-1-2 from 16 starts, with earnings of $1,113,100.

"We'll bring her back to California, and see how she comes out of this race," he said, "Everything is on the table."

Bred in Kentucky, Ce Ce is out of the Belong to Me mare Miss Houdini , winner of the 2002 Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) for trainer Warren Stute. Now 21, Miss Houdini has produced three other black-type runners, including two-time graded stakes winner Papa Clem  (by Smart Strike). Her last reported foal is an unraced American Pharoah   2-year-old colt named Native Thunder . She was reported bred to Midnight Lute   for 2021.

Video: Princess Rooney Invitational S. (G2)

Patience Pays Off With Miles Ahead

Miles Ahead has been slow to develop for owners David Melvin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa, but the patience trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. has shown with the 4-year-old colt is starting to pay off in a big way.

Three-wide entering the far turn in the Smile Sprint, Miles Ahead drove to the lead entering the stretch to win the six-furlong contest by a half-length over Chance It . Diamond Oops  finished third.

"He's an improving horse… one of those horses you have to have patience with," Plesa said. "Some of these horses are late developers and he's come around nicely."

Entering the race off a second-place finish behind Diamond Oops in the $60,000 Hollywood Lakes Stakes, Miles Ahead raced three wide down the backstretch just off the pacesetter Willy Boi , who went the opening quarter in :22.55 and the half in :45.46. Around the turn, Espinoza made his move on Miles Ahead and took the lead entering the stretch before driving to victory in a final time of 1:09.61 on  a fast track. He paid $8.60 on a $2 win ticket.

"It was nice that I was on the outside and I was able to control the race the whole way and see what the inside horses wanted to do," Espinoza said. "It worked out perfect. It was a pretty talented horse I rode."

"We gave $175,000 for him (as a 2-year-old)," said Plesa of the son of Competitive Edge  . "I worked him and he never showed anything. I put him on the turf because he never showed anything, and he got beat 30 lengths. I dropped him in for $12,500, and he won the length of the stretch. He's been an over-achiever since then."

Miles Ahead, a winner of eight of 16 starts, has now earned $260,000. He was bred in Kentucky by Nicholas M. Lotz & Betsy Kelley out of the black-type winning, grade 3-placed Awesome Again  mare Jennie R. , and was consigned by Top Line Sales to the Ocala Breeders' Sales 2019 March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, where he was purchased by his current connections. He also went through the ring at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Billy Williams bought him for $120,000 from James B. Keogh's consignment.

This is the first graded stakes winner out of Jennie R., a multiple black-type winner on the turf in 2007. She is also the dam of the grade 2-placed black-type winning Curlin   filly La Grange , who took the 2014 Cinderella Stakes at Los Alamitos and was second in that year's Sorrento Stakes (G2). Her Medaglia d'Oro   colt Magic D' Oro  placed in stakes company twice in Canada in 2014. 

The mare has an unraced Lord Nelson   2-year-old filly named My Lady Emma and was last reported bred to Malibu Moon   for 2020.

Video: Smile Sprint Invitational S. (G3)