Bel Air Beauty rallies to win Valley View

Whatever the surface, Bel Air Beauty seems to save her best for Keeneland. Friday she easily won the Grade 3, $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View Stakes over the Keeneland turf course, her first victory since winning the Grade 2 Alcibiades last October over the Polytrack surface there.

Heading into the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile Valley View, Bel Air Beauty appeared an unlikely winner. Breaking from the 11 post under Mark Guidry in field of 12 3-year-old fillies, she was hung five wide into the first turn, which resulted in her falling back into fifth place early.

There she remained for the first six furlongs of the race, as Pitamakan set an uncontested pace with fractions of 23.82 seconds, 48.66, and 1:13.36 over a good turf course. But as the field left the final turn, Bel Air Beauty began to find her stride.

Under urging from Guidry, she swooped past the opposition, while still remaining well out in the course. She won by 2 1/2 lengths over the late-running Bachata, with the front-running Pitamakan finishing a nose farther back in third. Bel Air Beauty ($18.40) raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.39.

Her victory in the Valley View pushed Bel Air Beauty's record to 2 wins, 2 seconds, and 1 third from 7. She is owned by Bruce Lunsford and trained by Frank Brothers.