Monmouth: Dancing Solo handles tougher competition in Boiling Springs

Bill Denver/Equiphoto

Joe Bravo collects one of his four wins on the day aboard Dancing Solo in the Grade 2 Boiling Springs.

OCEANPORT, N.J.- Dancing Solo scored another stakes win at Monmouth Park, beating Zultanite by 1 1/2 lengths on Saturday in the Grade 3, $103,000 Boiling Springs Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Dancing Solo has run here twice this meet and posted solid wins both times. She captured the Little Silver Stakes, the Boiling Springs prep, by an identical 1 1/2 length margin on May 27.

This time the competition was tougher, but the outcome was the same.

Cheimon and Dancing Solo had the best starts from the two outside posts in the 1 1/16- mile race.

Cheimon, a 20-1 outsider, opened up a clear lead with Joe Bravo keeping Dancing Solo in a relaxed stalking spot right behind the leader.

Entering the final turn, Dancing Solo relentlessly tightened the gap before kicking clear at the top of the lane.

Zultanite and Somali Lemonade also came running in the stretch. They never got close, as Dancing Solo maintained a comfortable lead right to the wire.

“The plan was to be a little closer to the pace today since there wasn’t much speed in the race,” said Bravo, who had four wins on the afternoon. “She settled exactly where I wanted to be, and in the stretch she was very powerful.”

Dancing Solo improved to 3 for 10 with her first graded stakes victory.

Zultanite and Somali Lemonade, the 8-5 favorite, dueled for second with Zultanite getting up by a half-length.

Cheimon hung on to get fourth, followed by Glamour N Glory;  Destiny’s Child, a Team Valor import from Germany making her U.S. debut, and Senator Beck.

The time was 1:41.99 over the firm course on a delightful afternoon under blue skies.

Dancing Solo paid $5.60 to win as the 9-5 second choice.

* Chris DeCarlo won two races on Saturday to reach 1,000 career wins.

He got within one when Dont’wait Toolong took the seventh and then came right back to take the next race aboard Oconee Gold.