Belle Hill Ships in for Autumn Miss Score

Belle Hill just seems to like winning, regardless of surface or location.



Shipping in from Emerald Downs, Aithon Stable's 3-year-old Sky Mesa   filly outdueled fellow stalker Paulina's Love in the stretch to win the $100,000 Autumn Miss (gr. IIIT) by a half-length, claiming her first graded stakes in her first start at Santa Anita Park and first over turf.



The top pair made a simultaneous move to the outside of pacesetter Dreamologist in the final turn of the mile grass event and battled to the wire, with Belle Hill and Leslie Mawing outlasting Paulina's Love and Tyler Baze. Singing Kitty, favored at 2-1, checked in third, 1 1/4 lengths back.



"She got a great trip and a perfect ride," winning trainer Larry Ross said. "It looked like a good spot for her (trying turf for the first time) and her family has done well on it, so we decided to go with it. I didn't give Leslie any instructions—just confidence."



Dreamologist sped to the lead, setting fractions of :22.05 and :45.43 through a half-mile with a two-length advantage, but Paulina's Love had already taken over through six furlongs in 1:09.83, with Belle Hill just a head behind. The winner hit the wire in 1:35.10 on firm turf.



It was the fourth straight victory for Belle Hill, who is out of 2007 Canadian Horse of the Year Sealy Hill. The filly previously won the Irish Day Handicap, Kent Handicap, and Washington Oaks, all over dirt at Emerald Downs. She broke her maiden at second asking over Golden Gate Field's synthetic surface in May.



"This is her first time on the turf, but her mom (was) a turf champion up in Canada, so that helped having it in her pedigree," Mawing said. "She took to the turf good... I was very happy with her performance today and it feels good to get my first stakes winner here at Santa Anita."



Mawing and Ross also teamed up on Stryker Phd's back-to-back scores in the Longacres Mile Handicap (gr. III) at Emerald Downs in 2014 and 2015.



Off at 9-1, Belle Hill paid $21.20, $8.60, and $6.80 across the board. Paulina's Love brought $5.60 and $3.80, while Singing Kitty returned $2.80 to show.



Second choice Majestic Heat, at 7-2, rallied from last to finish fourth, followed by Miss Boom Boom, All Star Bub, Hundi, Princess Charm, Dreamologist, and Suva Harbor, to complete the order of finish.



Bred in Kentucky by Eugene Melnyk, Belle Hill now has a 5-0-1 record from seven starts, which have all come in her 3-year-old year. She now has $173,220 in earnings.