Captive Melody gets stakes victory

Despite proving to be a handful for jockey Julien Leparoux, Captive Melody won her first stakes in the restricted $56,550 Cesario Stakes at Hollywood Park on Saturday.

Captive Melody ($10.20) ran a mile on turf in 1:35.09, finishing 2 1/4 lengths in front of La Mottie. Bosset finished third in the field nine 3-year-old fillies.

The Turfway Park-based Leparoux, who has ridden at Hollywood Park occasionally this fall, kept Captive Melody near the front throughout. The filly was eager on the backstretch while being rated behind pacesetter Moogie, who set fractions of 23.75 and 48.16 seconds.

Leparoux guided Captive Melody to the front on the final turn and quickly got a response, taking a two-length lead in early stretch.

Owned by Ramona Bass and trained by Christophe Clement, Captive Melody has won 2 of 6 starts and $85,110. By Unbridled's Song, Captive Melody beat maidens on turf in her fourth start in July and was sixth in an allowance race on turf at Belmont Park in October.

The Cesario was restricted to nonwinners of a first-place purse of $60,000.