By the Moon Edges Wavell Avenue at Belmont

Under a patient ride by Jose Ortiz, grade I winner By the Moon found room in the two path in early stretch and muscled through rivals on her way to a clear victory in the $150,000 Bed o' Roses Handicap (gr. III) June 25 at Belmont Park. 

Jay Em Ess Stable homebred By the Moon and last year's Twinspires Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) winner Wavell Avenue both raced near the back of the well-bunched field as West Coast Chick led the field of six fillies and mares through a quarter mile in :23.26 and a half in :46.10.

As the field neared the stretch, even-money favorite Wavell Avenue and Joel Rosario looked to rally four wide while By the Moon and Ortiz waited for running room. When the gap opened in early stretch, By the Moon pounced and powered through the stretch to a 1 3/4-length victory, completing the seven-furlong test in 1:21.98.

"She put me in a great position behind the speed. When we passed the three-eighths pole, I saw four horses across and at that point I was in a great position. If nothing opened, maybe I don't win," Ortiz said. "But I just tried to be patient and I found the hole. She responded well and gave me a great run."

While By the Moon earned a pair of grade I placings last year and a listed stakes win, Saturday's triumph marked the 4-year-old Indian Charlie filly's first graded stakes win since her clear victory in the 2014 Frizette Stakes (gr. I).

By the Moon closed out 2015 in early August with a third in the Longines Test Stakes (gr. I). Trainer Michelle Nevin prepped By the Moon for Saturday's race with a season-opening fourth-place finish in the Distaff Handicap (gr. III) April 17 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

"She's a hard-working filly, and she's come back this year in great form. Her first race back this year, it's always tough off the bench in a stake, but we didn't have too many options," Nevin said. "It was good to get a race under her and she showed back up today. I'm going to keep my options open for the next couple of weeks but I think she can go further. The way the race set up today, there was a lot of speed in the race and we were in the one-hole. We were either going to have to gun her or sit back. Jose gave her a great ride."

By the Moon returned $6.40, $3.40, and $2.60 across the board while Wavell Avenue paid $2.70 and $2.10 for the minor awards. Bar of Gold returned $2.70 to show.

Wavell Avenue, who spotted the winner six pounds in Saturday's handicap, continues to look for her first win since closing out 2015 with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. 

"She didn't get the trip," said Wavell Avenue's trainer Chad Brown. "There was no pace, she was wide, she was giving a lot of weight away today ... It was a tough setup for her."

By the Moon is out of multiple stakes winner By the Light, by Malibu Moon  .