Fair Grounds: A not-sick Flick wins Pontalba

NEW ORLEANS - Flick could not win an allowance race at Keeneland in her previous start, but on Sunday she was two lengths better than five rivals in the $60,000 Pontalba Stakes.

Rallying strongly in the final furlong, Flick ($7) passed the pacesetter, Purple Princess, and went on to win by two lengths, running the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.20.

Flick almost didn't make it to the Pontalba. Trainer Tom Amoss said she came down with a throat infection three days before the race and was treated with eucalyptus, because antibiotics would not be permitted in her system on race day. "We had her scoped and she looked fine, so we voted this morning - the vet, my assistant, and myself - 3-0 to run her," Amoss said.

Flick hit the track bouncing on her toes in the post parade and was into the Pontalba from the start. The Todd Pletcher-trained Purple Princess got away with an easy half-mile in 46.28 seconds, but Flick, rallying three wide, pounced in mid-stretch.