Dame Dorothy scores in Sunshine Millions Distaff

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Dame Dorothy became the first Pennsylvania-bred to win a Sunshine Millions race Saturday at Gulfstream Park when she rallied to a two-length victory over the 37-1 outsider Sheer Drama in the $150,000 Distaff. The Sunshine Millions was opened to Pennsylvania-, New York- and Maryland-breds for the first time this year.

With jockey Edgar Prado aboard for the first time, Dame Dorothy raced forwardly placed, rallied three wide to take command entering the stretch, and then increased her advantage despite drifting steadily through the latter stages of the seven-furlong dash. Sheer Drama, making her first start since moving into trainer David Fawkes’s barn earlier this month, finished best of all down the center of the course to check home second, three parts of a length in front of Flutterby.

Dame Dorothy is a 4-year-old daughter of Bernardini owned by Bobby Flay and trained by Todd Pletcher. The victory was the second in as many starts at Gulfstream Park for the once-beaten filly who captured her entry-level allowance condition by a dozen lengths here last winter.

Dame Dorothy completed the distance in 1:23.26 over a fast track and paid $6.

“We kind of freshened her up a bit and Bobby and I were talking about taking her out to Santa Anita for the Santa Margarita on March 14. But if we waited for the Rampart on Feb. 21, it would have been kind of close. This race came on the radar kind of late. I was just concerned we hadn’t done enough to have her ready, but she threw in a couple of good breezes and I thought we were in good shape.”

Pletcher cross-entered Dame Dorothy for Saturday’s Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf but opted to keep her on dirt instead.

“We cross-entered her on the grass today because she’s got a lot of pedigree for the grass on the bottom side,” said Pletcher. “But when we drew outside in both races it made more sense to do it going seven-eighths.”