ELMONT, N.Y. – Caledonia Road, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2017 and the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, aced her comeback race at Belmont Park on Sunday, scoring a useful victory in a second-level optional-claiming race. Trainer Ralph Nicks estimated before the race that he had Caledonia Road at "about 80 percent" for her first start in almost six months. Nicks was using the one-mile race as a prep for the Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn at Belmont on the June 9 Belmont Stakes card. Caledonia Road had a chip removed from an ankle following the Breeders’ Cup, then came down with a minor illness in March. “She never had a fever, she was just out of her feed tub for a couple of weeks,” Nicks said. Caledonia Road was a little keen in the paddock prior to her comeback start but went about her business during the race like a pro under jockey Junior Alvarado. Caledonia Road stalked pacesetters Special Risk and Total Control through fractions of 24.29 and 48.40 seconds over the “good” track. She moved closer without being asked three wide on the turn, then took the lead outside of Total Control nearing the furlong pole and drew off to a 3 1/2-length score. Total Control, the second choice at 7-2, held second by a nose over 4-1 third choice Crimson Frost. Alvarado only asked Caledonia Road for what he needed and then eased up on her nearing the finish. Although Caledonia Road’s win was not overly flashy, it was impressive as she overcame several hurdles. In addition to the layoff and recent illness, she was facing older fillies and mares for the first time. The track at Belmont also was drying out and on the heavy side. Jockeys were coming back from their races covered with thick grit. “It is a mile race, the track is heavy,” Alvarado said. “I had to ask her a little more than I wanted to because it is hard to quicken up on this track. But turning into the stretch, I was confident with what she was giving me.” Caledonia Road paid $2.70 in the five-horse field. She completed the mile in 1:38.06 following six furlongs in 1:13.11. Nicks said he was pleased with Caledonia Road’s performance and realized she “would need to move forward in the Acorn.” Nicks, a former assistant to Bill Mott, didn’t want to see his champion filly get beat in her comeback and was relieved after the race. “Yeah, my hands quit sweating,” he said. “When I worked for Mott with Cigar during his streak, it got to the point where it was nerve-racking. It’s horse racing – there’s a million ways to lose and one way to win.” Nicks was pleased with Caledonia Road’s performance. “It was good,” he said. “She’s obviously going to have to step up for the Acorn. But we’ve got the race in her now, and we can handle her a little differently than we would have if we just went off a layoff into that type of race.” Nicks has 20 horses stabled at Belmont in addition to his Florida string and said Caledonia Road would train up to the one-mile Acorn in New York. Her rider is to be determined.