Belvoir Bay takes inside route to victory in Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – The results of Friday’s Grade 3 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes at Del Mar sealed the opinion.

Belvoir Bay is best a sprinter in the mind of co-owner Gary Barber.

“Anything from five to seven furlongs works,” he said. “She’s got a great turn of foot.”

Belvoir Bay ($8.80) displayed that rally to win her first stakes of 2017 in the $150,000 Maddy Stakes for fillies and mares at five furlongs, the final race on the first day of the Breeders’ Cup program.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Belvoir Bay snuck through along the inside to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Vigor, the 3-1 favorite. Belvoir Bay was timed in 56.63 seconds. Instant Reflex, an 8-1 shot, finished third, followed by Little Jude, Long Hot Summer, Snack Shack, Paquita Coqueta, Street Surrender, What a Ten, and So Sweetitiz.

Prat had Belvoir Bay in fifth and then fourth, while racing on the inside through the first three furlongs. When space developed to the inside of So Sweetitiz in early stretch, Prat urged Belvoir Bay even though he was concerned there may not have been enough room.

“I decided to stay inside,” he said. “When I sent her to go, she kicked really well. I was surprised going five-eighths.”

Trained by Peter Miller and co-owned by Barber and the Team Valor International syndicate, Belvoir Bay has won 6 of 16 starts and earned $330,016. The Maddy was her first stakes win since the Unzip Me Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita in September 2016.

Earlier in her career, Belvoir Bay won the Blue Norther Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita and the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes on dirt at Del Mar in August 2016.