Snowbell Rings Up Comely Win in Stakes Debut
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Godolphin Racing's Snowbell led from the start and drew off through the stretch for an authoritative win in the $400,000 Comely Stakes (gr. III) Nov. 29 at Aqueduct Racetrack .
Making her stakes debut, the daughter of Tapit dominated seven rivals while part of a three-horse Godolphin entry that was favored at 9-5 odds, coasting clear to a 2 1/4-length triumph in the 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-old fillies. Shayjolie spurted past Dame Dorothy in the stretch to take second by a neck. Dame Dorothy suffered her first ever defeat in a third-place finish.
Snowbell was timed in 1:52.59 on a fast track and was victorious for the third time from eight starts this year. She increased her lifetime bankroll to $373,490.
After her maiden in August at Saratoga Race Course, Snowbell stepped up in class after an eye-opening 8 1/2-length victory in an allowance/optional claiming race going the Comely distance Oct. 5 at Belmont Park. She had been training extremely well recently, trainer Tom Albertrani said, and breezed a half-mile in :49.69 over the Belmont training track Nov. 21.
Stalked by Dame Dorothy and Shayjolie from the start, Snowbell set easy fractions of :25.02, :50.97, and 1:16.22 through six furlongs. Lightly coaxed by Luis Saez at the five sixteenths pole, she was angled three wide into the stretch, floating out main opposition Dame Dorothy, before edging away to a clear win.
"I know she likes the front, and the only other speed was part of the (Godolphin) entry," Saez said. "I took the lead and waited to see what would happen. At the half mile, I knew I still had a lot of horse, and when I asked her in the stretch, she came on very well. That was good."
Shayjolie, second in the Safely Kept Stakes Nov. 15 at Laurel Park, tracked on the rail just behind previously unbeaten 2-1 second choice Dame Dorothy. She had a ready rally for Jose Ortiz to edge that rival for second at 29-1 odds. Godolphin's Penwith and Divided Attention, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, finished fourth and sixth, respectively.
Snowbell took a step forward in the Comely after scratching out of the previous day's Go for Wand Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct.
"We were hopeful that we would be able to get the lead, just judging from the track it seemed like a good place to be—on the front end," said Godolphin's Jimmy Bell. "She's a filly that has obviously shown that she has that front-running speed, which is always dangerous. The fractions were kind and every step was a good step."
Snowbell returned $5.70, $3.80, and $2.10 while Shayjolie paid $16 and $5.60. Dame Dorothy paid $2.80 to show.
Catch My Drift was fifth while House Rules and Flipcup finished seventh and eighth to complete the order of finish.
Darley bred Snowbell in Kentucky from their grade II winner Burmilla, whom Sheikh Mohammed's bloodstock adviser John Ferguson bought for $850,000 at the 2004 Keeneland September yearling sale.