Bluesbdancing by a head at Arlington

The Fit for a Queen Stakes was carded as an open overnight sprint stakes, but it came down to two old Illinois-bred rivals: Pretty Jenny got the worst of things, Bluesbdancing got the money.

Sent to the front from post 3 by jockey Chris Emigh, Pretty Jenny dueled inside through a suicidal pace with favored Lady Belsara. Meanwhile, Bluesbdancing lay in wait, in perfect stalking position - and almost completely overlooked in the betting. It took every bit of the 6 1/2 furlongs, but Bluesbdancing finally pushed past, beating Pretty Jenny by a head and returning a startlingly high $27.40 to win.

Bluesbdancing had run poorly in her most recent start, which came at Hawthorne in an Illinois-bred stakes race, but Pretty Jenny had clunked in that spot too, and was bet down to 5-2 on Saturday. The two have traded decisions the last couple of years, and with help from a more favorable trip, Bluesbdancing got the better of her longtime rival Saturday.

Arlington's Polytrack played fast on Saturday, but a half-mile in 44.71 seconds is still a demanding pace on the synthetic going. Pretty Jenny was all heart to battle on through fatigue and hold off all but Bluesbdancing. Jockey Eddie Perez kept Bluesbdancing glued to the fence for much of the trip, only coming off the rail to wear down the front-runners. Trained by Terrel Gore, Bluesbdancing stopped the timer in 1:16.48. Lady Belsara held third in the $47,750 race.