Uni Secures Third Stakes Win in Noble Damsel

Running reservedly in the back of the pack, Uni saved her energy for the final push to the wire and propelled herself to a third consecutive stakes win in the $200,000 Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T) Sept. 22 at Belmont Park. 

Last from the gate in a field of four older fillies and mares, Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta, and Bethlehem Stables' Uni appeared unhurried in the one-mile test. As early leader Hawksmoor set fractions of :24.40 and :48.84 through the first half-mile, 4-year-old Uni steadily gained ground to increase her advantage and cut through the frontrunners to take control at the top of the stretch. 

Kicking clear of her competitors, Uni extended her lead from 1 1/2 to 3 3/4 lengths. The Chad Brown trainee crossed the wire in a final time of 1:36.11 over turf rated good.

Hawksmoor held to finish second, followed by Thundering Sky a neck behind in third. Uni's stablemate Dream Awhile completed the order of finish almost eight lengths behind the leader. Lift Up and Mythical Mission were scratched.

"I just tipped her out and she came running," said winning jockey Joel Rosario. "She's a really nice filly. (Brown) just said to let her break, get her comfortable, follow the speed in the race, and take it from there. She's a nice-moving filly. I was only the passenger. She did all the work."

It would seem that New York agrees with the daughter of More Than Ready . Uni entered the Noble Damsel off two previous stakes victories in the Plenty of Grace and Fasig-Tipton De La Rose at Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course, respectively. The three-race win streak is the longest of the filly's career. 

"This was a tough kind of race," said Whit Beckman, assistant to Chad Brown. "Only four in the field and it looked like a lone speed (Hawksmoor), but she's a classy little filly and got it done. 

"We were kind of figuring Hawksmoor would go out, and we just hoped her running style would be enough, because we weren't going to look to change that and it was enough to get it done."

The Noble Damsel marked the second graded win for the Uni, who arrived in Brown's barn from France last year. Bred in Great Britain by Haras d'Etreham, out of the Dansili mare Unaided, Uni was purchased for $44,436 by The Channel Consignment from her breeder at the 2015 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale. 

Uni improved her record to 6-3-2 in 13 starts with $712,880 in earnings.