Boogie Boogee would not be denied in Cincinnatian Stakes
Boogie Boogee was tenacious on the lead to turn back favored Sammy's Sister for a length victory in the $75,000 Cincinnatian Stakes for Ohio-accredited 3-year-old fillies on Friday at Belterra Park.
The Cincinnatian was originally carded for the turf, but was taken off the lawn due to heavy rain in the area, primarily the day before. The race was instead contested at 1 1/16 miles on a main track rated good.
The complexion of the race further changed with just minutes to post as Happy as You Go, who had drawn strong support as one of only two prior stakes winners in the field, was a late scratch on the way to the starting gate. That left her familiar foe Sammy's Sister, winner of the Glacial Princess Stakes last November in her juvenile finale, as the heavy favorite.
Sammy's Sister broke alertly but was quickly overhauled by a keen Boogie Boogee, under Luis Rivera, on her outside, and sat back to cede the lead to that one through casual opening fractions of 25.09 seconds for the quarter and 50.83 for the half. Lady Dyanaformer, stepping up and stretching out off a debut victory last month, was also within striking distance of the pace while running in third on the outside.
Turning for home, Sammy's Sister, who had saved ground all the way, moved up inside of Boogie Boogee and appeared to be on her way to going by. But Boogie Boogee battled back hard and kept her neck in front of her foe, eventually edging clear. She finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:48.99 and paid $11.20.
Lady Dyanaformer, who attempted to save ground by splitting the top two in the stretch, was stymied in that attempt and wound up third, 3 1/2 lengths back.
Boogie Boogee, a Cryptolight filly trained by Michael Rone, has now won 3 of 10 career starts. The Cincinnatian was her first stakes victory. She had finished fourth in both the Emerald Necklace and the Glacial Princess last fall as a juvenile.