Carolyn's Cat a runaway Cicada winner

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - In addition to being good, Carolyn's Cat was lucky to win Saturday's Grade 3 $108,000 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct.

Though Carolyn's Cat was much the best winning the Cicada in front-running fashion by 3 3/4 lengths, she was fortunate to remain the winner after bumping hard into Throbbin' Heart at the break, nearly unseating jockey Stewart Elliott and eliminating any chance Throbbin' Heart had to be competitive.

The stewards put the inquiry sign up immediately after the finish, but after a brief review decided not to take any action. Stewart Elliott, the jockey of Throbbin' Heart - who finished last - said his filly stumbled at the break and was slammed into as she was attempting to recover from the stumble. The stewards said that explanation, along with the fact the incident happened at the start of the race, were the reasons they took no action. Elliott simply called it "bad luck."

It was certainly good fortune for the connections of Carolyn's Cat, who saw their filly validate her performance in last month's T-Storm Stakes with her first graded stakes victory. She is now 3 for 6 overall.

Under Alan Garcia, Carolyn's Cat led the field on a merry chase through fractions of 22.26 and 45.09 seconds for the opening half-mile. Dill or No Dill tried to run with her but faded in the stretch. Ready for Fortune tried to run down Carolyn's Cat but was no match, finishing second by 4 1/4 lengths over Dill or No Dill.

Carolyn's Cat, a daughter of Forestry owned by William Warren and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, covered six furlongs in 1:10.16 and returned $5.40 as the favorite.

"She's improving all the time. We're so happy with her,"said assistant trainer Art Magnuson. "Mr. Warren has told us all along she's a graded stakes filly, so we were just trying to figure that out for him."

Longshot Prince of Peace wore down pacesetting R Clear Victory to win the $67,500 Instant Friendship Stakes for New York-bred colts and geldings by 1 1/2 lengths. Under Norberto Arroyo Jr., Prince of Peace stalked R Clear Victory through six furlongs in 1:12.02 before making the lead inside the sixteenth pole.

Prince of Peace, a son of Regal Classic trained and owned in part by Mike Miceli, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.11 and returned $48.60.

* There will be a pick-six carryover of $236,310 entering Wednesday's card.

* Trainer Ramon Hernandez was suspended 10 days and fined $1,000 after his horse Estimator tested positive for the banned substance phenytoin after finishing second in the seventh race here on Jan. 26. Phenytoin is used on nervous horses who have a tendency to tie up. The suspension was reduced from 15 days for Hernandez waiving his right of appeal.