Bonita Bianca rolls to six-length victory in Empire Distaff

Bonita Bianca took no prisoners, drawing away to a six-length victory over Split Time and eight other overmatched rivals in Saturday’s $250,000 Empire Distaff Handicap at Belmont Park.

Bonita Bianca came into the 1 1/16-mile Empire Distaff off a failed turf experiment in the John Hettinger Stakes when finishing a distant eighth against statebred stakes rivals on Sept. 23 at Belmont. But she was right at home when back in her own element on the main track in the Empire Distaff.

Rating kindly just off the early leaders under jockey Jose Lezcano, Bonita Bianca moved readily to the lead while three wide approaching the stretch, then steadily increased her advantage while kept under a drive to the wire. Split Time, near the rear of the pack in the run down the backstretch, moved to closer contention entering the stretch. She was easily second-best while finishing down the middle of the track, but never threatened the winner. Tiznow’s Smile was third.

Bonita Bianca, a 4-year-old daughter of Curlin, was transfered to trainer Jason Servis prior to the start of her 2018 campaign. The Empire Distaff was her third win in five starts on the season and second stakes tally following the Aug. 16 Union Avenue at Saratoga. On the 2016 New York Showcase Day card, she won the Maid of the Mist for then-trainer Rudy Rodriguez, and she was third in last year's Empire Distaff, also for Rodriguez.

Bonita Bianca is owned in partnership by Michael Dubb, Michael Imperio, and Bethlehem Stable. She was timed in 1:43.18 and returned $7.50 as the tepid favorite.

“She broke really good, she was right there the whole way,” said Lezcano. “When I asked her at the quarter pole, she went on. When I asked her, she kicked home. She did everything right today to win the race.”

“She has a big [turf] foot and we felt we had to try her [in the Hettinger]. It seemed like the right thing to do,” said Dubb. “With her being a 4-year-old, it’s been on our minds. She didn’t take to it. But she’s a Curlin. She’ll go long. She’ll go short. She loves Belmont Park. It was all in her favor today. She had a favorable post position and everything was to her inside, so it was all good. At a mile and a sixteenth down the chute at Belmont, she’s really comfortable running outside, and that’s her comfort zone and she was there today.”