Falconet gets the trip and the win in Ladies Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Falconet took advantage of her outside draw and a clean trip under Jose Lezcano to take Sunday’s $145,500 Ladies Stakes by two lengths at Aqueduct.

Battle Bling, last year’s Ladies winner, was unable to get the early lead and did well to rally from off the pace to finish second, three lengths clear of Sweet Willemina in third. Tonal Vision and Exotic West completed the order of finish.

The victory was the third from seven starts and first in a stakes for Falconet, a 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo owned by China Horse Club and WinStar Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher. Falconet had finished second in two stakes, including the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks, before a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Comely on Nov. 25 at Aqueduct.

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In the Comely, Falconet bobbled out of the gate and was a bit out of position. Sunday, starting from the outside in the five-horse field, Falconet broke better and was kept within a length of pacesetter Exotic West through an opening half-mile in 47.84 seconds. Approaching the top of the stretch, Falconet took the lead. She opened up a 3 1/2-length advantage at the eighth pole and held off Battle Bling while being brought out several paths by Lezcano.

“She had a good post,” said Byron Hughes, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher. “She broke okay. I thought Jose got her in a good rhythm, kept her head in the clear. She was able to have a little kick there and hold on.”

Falconet covered the 1 1/8 miles over a muddy, sealed track in 1:52.15 and returned $4.20 as the even-money favorite.

Battle Bling, who has done some of her best work lately from a forward position, had to rally from off the pace Sunday under Kendrick Carmouche. Battle Bling was coming off an eighth-place finish in the Grade 3 Go for Wand, run over a sloppy track. She has now finished first or second in nine of her last 11 starts.

“I was in a perfect spot, no excuse,” Carmouche said. “I had to wait a little longer than what I wanted, but we’re just happy the filly ran a good race on a sloppy track. She’s either thrown a good one or a bad one on a sloppy track, and she was back to form today so that’s what was most pleasing about it.”

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