Bell's the One rallies from far back to take the Honorable Miss over Lake Avenue
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Bell’s the One was closer to the pace than trainer Neil Pessin expected when she won the Roxelana Stakes in her last start at Churchill Downs and a little further back than he had hoped during the early stages of Wednesday’s $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga.
But in the end, Bell’s the One asserted her class once again, outfinishing a dead game but hard luck Lake Avenue by a neck to enhance her standing even further in the filly and mare sprint division with a well-deserved neck victory in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss.
With her regular rider Corey Lanerie in for the assignment, Bell’s the One, the 4-5 favorite, fell back to last in the run down the backstretch in the six-furlong Honorable Miss, surprisingly dropping nearly 10 lengths off the early leaders. She advanced to closer contention on the turn, angled to the extreme outside to continue her bid entering the stretch, hooked up with Lake Avenue nearing mid-stretch, and narrowly proved best under strong handling.
Lake Avenue, slowest to begin, raced mid-pack for the opening half-mile, also angled out near the middle of the track for the drive, rallied on even terms with the winner through mid-stretch before coming out second best in the end. It was another 2 3/4 lengths further back to Ain’t No Elmers, who did well to finish third after setting a hotly contested pace.
Bell’s the One added the Honorable Miss to a résumé that also includes victories in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff, Grade 2 Raven Run, and Grade 3 Winning Colors along with a third-place finish in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Bell’s the One completed the distance in 1:09.83 over a fast track and paid $3.80.
“She was further back than I expected, especially since they went a slow opening quarter in 22 and 4 and I was a little worried because it’s been a hard track to close on today, but I thought she had the ability to overcome it,” said Pessin. “She kind of took herself back and Corey didn’t rush her. She made her run like she usually does. I thought she was the best horse going in and I feel the same way coming out. She has so much heart and desire and more class than I’ve ever been around.
“Hopefully now, after winning a race like this at Saratoga, she’ll get the accolades she deserves, that people won’t put her on the back burner when they talk about the sprint fillies.”
Pessin said he’ll likely run Bell’s the One once more before the Breeders’ Cup, in the Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland, which is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Lanerie, who has been aboard Bell’s the One for each of her graded stakes wins and last year’s Breeders’ Cup, echoed Pessin’s sentiments when saying he never expected his filly to be that far back.
“She took herself back and I just let her run her race, and when she got on her left lead I said it was time to go and she just started making up ground so easy,” Lanerie said. “The four horse [Lake Avenue] put in more of a fight than I expected. I felt when I got to her we’d just run away, but she wouldn’t go away for a while.”
The setback was the second consecutive, narrow loss in a graded stakes for Lake Avenue, who also finished second, beaten a neck by Estilo Talentoso, in the Grade 3 Bed of Roses last month at Belmont Park.
“The filly ran good, I was proud of her, proud of the effort,” said trainer Bill Mott. “She was battling right down to the wire. Even when that filly headed her she came back for a jump. The other one was just a little better.