Cruise and Danze puts away Panthera Onca to win Ruthless

Trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer continued a productive run at Aqueduct as he saddled Cruise and Danze to a 2 1/4-length victory in Sunday's $100,000 Ruthless Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

This was the second stakes score for O'Dwyer at Aqueduct, as his charge Shotski won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes in December, earning 10 points toward the Kentucky Derby. The colt is expected to return to Aqueduct to chase additional points in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Saturday.

"I always liked this filly," O'Dwyer said of his latest stakes winner. "I was a little concerned about the seven furlongs because she's very fast. Eric [Cancel] gave her a lovely ride. She's very rateable."

Cruise and Danze ($7.90) and Cancel pressed the pace of Panthera Onca, sitting just a head behind through an opening quarter of 23.16 seconds and the half in 47.06 on a track rated good. Favored Miss Marissa was never far back, sitting on Cruise and Danze's hip at the half mile point.

Cruise and Danze got in front of a stubborn Panthera Onca around the turn and, when set down in earnest by Cancel cutting the corner, edged away to open a two-length lead in upper stretch. She continued on well to the wire, stopping the clock in 1:25 for the seven furlongs.

Behind her, a game Panthera Onca was passed by Miss Marissa, who opened a length on her before Panthera Onca came back on to nose out the favorite for second. It was seven lengths back from the top three to the rest of the field.

Cruise and Danze, who is from the first crop of Danza, races as a homebred for Haymarket Farm. The filly won once from three outings at O'Dwyer's Laurel Park base before he brought her to Aqueduct for the final start of her 2-year-old campaign. She finished second by a nose in an allowance-optional claiming race on Dec. 14 in her New York debut, prompting her recent move to stakes company.