Deceptive Vision Wins Doubledogdare

Sam-Son Farm's homebred Deceptive Vision just held over traffic-troubled Lunar Surge in the $100,000 Doubledogdare Stakes (gr. III) April 17 at Keeneland, winning her first graded stakes race on the dirt and handling that surface as well as the turf .

The 5-year-old A.P. Indy mare made her past five outings for trainer Malcom Pierce over the lawn, including a victory in the Canadian (Can-IIT) last September at Woodbine and a runner-up finish by a nose in the Dance Smartly (Can-IIT) there in July. The Doubledogdare was her first start off the layoff; she had not raced since a third in Woodbine's Oct. 19 E.P. Taylor (Can-IT).

"(The layoff) was why we waited and didn't run in the Jenny Wiley (gr. IT, April 11)," Pierce said. "She handles the dirt as well as she handles the turf."

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez kept Deceptive Vision covered up fourth along the rail as longshot Twenty in One set the pace tracked by Blue Violet and Tiz Windy. The frontrunner held about a half-length advantage while going a quarter in :24.21 and a half in :48.16, getting three-quarters in 1:12.85 before fading.

Velazquez tipped his mount over to the four path heading around the final turn and vigorously kept her mind on the task at hand to the line. 

"She was traveling so well the whole way around," Velazquez said. "About the sixteenth pole, it looked like she was going to win easily. As soon as she opened up a half-length with the other horses inside her, she started waiting. Her ears went up and she saw the tire tracks (from the starting gate). She didn't really pay attention at all. So (I was) trying to keep her momentum going and keep her mind on running. She never saw the horse on the inside. I just wanted her to stay focused. She held on."

Lunar Surge, in pursuit of her first graded victory for Susan and Jim Hill, was trapped in a tight rail spot under jockey Corey Lanerie and found running room too late, just getting edged by a head for the win.

"When I went for the hole (along the rail in upper stretch), it was opening," Lanerie said. "When I got to it, it was shutting. I saw the jockey in front of me (Kerwin Clark) hitting left-handed and (the hole) started to open and I thought, 'I'll just duck right in here.' The hole opened, then it shut—it was just racing luck.

"It was close at the end, but I had a gut feeling that I got beat. I was hoping I was wrong."

The 6-5 favorite in a field of seven, Deceptive Vision returned $4.60, $3, and $2.40 while Lunar Surge brought $3.60 and $3. Blue Violet paid $2.80 in third, with Pretty Fancy winding up fourth. Tiz Windy, Twenty in One, and Liberated completed the order of finish. Handmade and My Miss Sophia, the 2-1 morning line favorite, scratched.

My Miss Sophia, runner-up in last year's Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), will compete instead in the May 1 La Troienne (gr. I) at Churchill Downs. 

Bred in Ontario out of the Smart Strike mare Eye of the Sphynx, Deceptive Vision improved her record to 5-2-2 from nine starts for earnings of $462,355.



"She's a lovely filly, she's got a lot of tallent, but she made me sweat a little bit today," Pierce said. "I didn't know she'd won but I'm happy with the outcome."