Bronx Beauty looks sharp in winning New Start

GRANTVILLE – Bronx Beauty improved her record to four wins from five starts at Penn National on Saturday by winning her first race in six months, the $100,000 New Start, a six-furlong sprint for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Bronx Beauty is based with trainer Anthony Margotta Jr. at Monmouth Park. Last year at 2 she won the Colleen in New Jersey and the Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies at Penn National.

Margotta said Bronx Beauty was sent to Crupi’s New Castle Farm in Florida for a break over the winter.

“We’ll have to look at getting her a graded stakes at some point to help with her residual value,” Margotta said. “But all the emphasis has been on getting her ready for this race. We’re very happy.”

Bronx Beauty, who is owned by 2W Stables, paid $14.40 and was timed in 1:10.35. She was part of a four-horse pace early, put away her nearest rivals, and then held Smokinpaddylassie safe to win by two lengths.

Smokinpaddylassie was slow from the gate, made a middle move to contention, then finished willingly although unable to seriously menace the winner.

Dixie Serenade rallied from well back to finish third, a half-length behind her Eddie Coletti Jr.-trained stablemate.

Smooth B wins second straight

Jose Lezcano sent Smooth B through a hole along the rail in the stretch and he went on to score by three lengths in the $100,000 Danzig, a six-furlong race for statebred 3-year-olds.

The win was the second impressive score for Smooth B since trainer Butch Reid added blinkers to his equipment.

“The blinkers seem to have worked,” Reid said. “We knew he had more talent than he was showing, so at that point you have to start trying things."

Smooth B, who races for the LC Racing of Glenn Bennett, is now 4 for 10. In his prior start, and first with blinkers, he won a first-level Pennylvania-bred allowance at Parx Racing by nine lengths.

Smooth B was timed in 1:11.21, four-fifths of a second slower than Bronx Beauty, who won the filly version of the race.

Undefeated Smokin Nitro set the pace in the Danzig. In the stretch, Smooth B came up the inside while 4-for-4 Midnight Poker challenged outside horses.

Midnight Poker went on to finish second. Smokin Nitro tired to finish seventh. Tudox Expectations rallied to finish third, three-quarters of a length behind Midnight Poker.

Imply upsets odds-on Great Soul

Imply and Great Soul have quite a rivalry going.

Imply defeated Great Soul in the Northern Fling at Presque Isle Downs last July. Great Soul came back to beat Imply in an off-the-turf running of the Mrs. Penny at Parx in September.

The two met again in the $100,000 Lyphard Stakes, with 9-2 Imply running down 3-5 Great Soul in the stretch to score by 1 1/2 lengths.

Imply, part of a Barlar LLC-owned entry, paid $11 in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares. Advert, her Bernie Houghton-trained stablemate, finished third, 2 3/4 lengths farther back.

Imply was timed over firm turf in 1:41.69.

Imply had finished fourth in a third-level optional-claiming race in her seasonal debut May 12.

“We were kind of scrambling to get that race for her,” Houghton said. “She's the type of mare that needs a race before she’s at her best.”

Imply, a 5-year-old daughter of E Dubai, is now 7 for 19 in her career with earnings of $393,000.