Blinkers might help Holdontoyourdream

ELMONT, N.Y. - Tony Dutrow didn't necessarily expect that his filly Holdontoyourdream was going to win last month's Grade 2 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct. But he was expecting a better effort than he got.

In an attempt to get Holdontoyourdream to perform better in Wednesday's $65,000 Deceit Stakes at Belmont, Dutrow will be adding blinkers to the 3-year-old filly's equipment. A field of five was entered for the Deceit, a one-mile race restricted to 3-year-old fillies.

Having always been impressed with Holdontoyourdream's professionalism, Dutrow was caught off guard by the filly's lack of focus when she finished third, six lengths behind Dream Play, in the Comely, run over an extremely sloppy Aqueduct main track.

"She broke very outwardly at the start, never focused on a determined run, was fooling around, looking around, that type of thing,'' Dutrow said. "I was surprised she was so unprofessional that day.''

In her race before the Comely, Holdontoyourdream won a first-level allowance race by 2 3/4 lengths at Philadelphia Park.

Dutrow said Holdontoyourdream wore blinkers when she worked a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.80 last Friday in the mud at Aqueduct, though he's not sure the blinkers made much of a difference.

"To be honest, I don't see a great deal of change; I've always been happy with her training,'' Dutrow said.

Ramon Dominguez will ride Holdontoyourdream from post 4.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out the uncoupled entry of Yes She's a Lady and Dark Starlet in the Deceit. Yes She's a Lady has gone 2 for 2 since being stretched out in distance, including a front-running victory in a first-level allowance race on April 27 at Philadelphia Park. She figures to be prominent again early breaking from the rail under John Velazquez.

Dark Starlet was a debut winner from off the pace going seven furlongs at Gulfstream on April 11. She was a gate scratch in a first-level allowance race here last Thursday.

Pletcher said that Dark Starlet had just a superficial scratch on her stifle, but otherwise appears fine.

"In some ways this is a step up, but it's not a whole lot tougher than the allowance race she was in the other day,'' Pletcher said.

Maraschino Red, a $900,000 2-year-old in-training purchase, won a maiden race on dirt two starts back before finishing third in a first-level allowance run over Keeneland's Polytrack. Hopeful Image takes a class drop after being soundly defeated in both the Forward Gal and Bonnie Miss stakes at Gulfstream.