Queenie Belle Finally Gets a Good Grade

Queenie Belle, no better than fourth in her two previous graded races, was a two-length winner over Saudi Poetry in the $150,000 Princess Stakes--a Grade II event--Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Queenie Belle, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Brice Blanc, prompted the pace set by longshot Annie Lil and held off a mild bid by Cash Run, the 5-2 third choice and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, into the stretch to go on and win in 1:43 2/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

It was the fourth win in 11 starts for Queenie Belle, who was saddled by assistant trainer Jesus Mendoza. Trainer Ben Cecil has been in England and is due to return to California today.

“I thought there would be more pace in the race,” Blanc said. “I thought [fifth-place finisher Wired To Fly] would be going for the lead and maybe a couple of others.

“My filly broke like a rocket and she was very comfortable, so I just let her go and tried to keep her relaxed. She really responded nicely in the lane.

“The day she won going a mile at Santa Anita [March 23], everybody said she wouldn’t be able to go that far, but she settled nicely. Since that race, I’ve been very confident in her and I knew she had been training super.”

Saudi Poetry, returning to California after finishing second in two races at Churchill Downs, finished 3 1/2 lengths in front of Cash Run, who proved again she can’t win if she doesn’t make the lead. Star Queen, Wired To Fly and Annie Lil completed the order of finish.

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Riboletta will try to become the fourth female to sweep Hollywood Park’s three-race series for fillies and mares when she goes against six others in today’s $300,000 Vanity Handicap.

Riboletta has won three of six since owners Aaron and Marie Jones changed her trainer to Eduardo Inda, with victories in her last two races--the Hawthorne and Milady handicaps--coming by a combined 10 1/4 lengths. She had won one of six races under previous trainer Bob Baffert.

Chris McCarron will again ride Riboletta, who is carrying 123 pounds--three more than she did in the Milady--and will be opposed by the 2-3-4 finishers in the Milady: Bordelaise, Excellent Meeting and Speaking Of Time.

Riboletta, a Brazilian-bred, is the 6-5 morning line favorite, while Excellent Meeting, winless in four races since winning the Princess Stakes at Hollywood Park over a year ago, is the 2-1 second choice.

Completing the field for the Grade I race run at 1 1/8 miles are Feverish, Cookin Vickie and Gleefully.

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Besides the Vanity, there are two other stakes races on today’s Hollywood Park card.

Squirtle Squirt is the 7-5 choice against six other 2-year-olds in the $75,000-added Haggin Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Squirtle Squirt finished fourth in a two-furlong race at Santa Anita in his career debut, then broke his maiden in his first start at Hollywood Park and won the Willard Proctor Memorial three weeks later as the 4-5 favorite. Laffit Pincay will again ride the son of Marquetry.

Completing the field are Noble Kinsman, Slew Has A Message, Donato’s Run, Our Magistrate, Painted Avenue and Express Memo. Donato’s Run is the 2-1 second choice.

Bienamado, who hasn’t run since finishing fifth in the Canadian International at Woodbine on Oct. 17, is the 5-2 morning line choice in the $75,000-added Jim Murray Memorial Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Bienamado will race on Lasix for the first time and be ridden by Chris McCarron. Alvo Certo, Sky Champion, Yaralino, Adcat, Casino King, Motto and Si Seductor complete the field.

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Beautiful Pleasure had what amounted to another well-paid workout with a 7 1/2-length victory in the $250,000 Hempstead Handicap at Belmont Park.

Five weeks after a similar victory in the Shuvee Handicap, Beautiful Pleasure--the 1999 Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Eclipse champion--went right to the front under jockey Jorge Chavez and cruised to victory in 1:41 2/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Beautiful Pleasure, trained by John Ward, has nine victories in 17 starts and will probably make her next appearance in the Go For Wand at Saratoga. The Hempstead was her fifth in a Grade I race.

“Anyone could have ridden her,” Chavez said. “She’s the best [mare] in the land. There was no sense fighting her, she runs the way she wants. The fractions were fast [23, 45 3/5 and 1:09 3/5 for six furlongs] but she did it [without any urging.]”

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Unbeaten Hallowed Dreams will try for her 15th victory in a row in the $35,000 Fantasia Stakes today at Louisiana Downs. Hallowed Dreams, a 3-year-old bred in Louisiana, has had all of her victories come in the state.

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Alleged, who won the Arc de Triomphe in 1977 and 1978, then sired 98 thoroughbred stakes winners and more than a dozen champions worldwide, is dead at 26.

Alleged was euthanized Friday at Walmac International in Lexington, Ky., where he stood in stud for nearly two decades until 1997.

While racing in the 70s, Alleged--a son of Hoist The Flag from the Prince John mare Princess Pout--won nine of 10 races, suffering his only defeat when second in the 1977 St. Leger--England’s oldest classic race.

Among the champions Miss Alleged sired were Sir Harry Lewis, Law Society, Shantou, Strategic Choice, Jurado and Silvernesian. The offspring of Alleged have earned more than $38 million.

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Associated Press contributed to this story.