Fiesta makes Jill Jellison first stakes triumph

Fiesta was in the mood for a party Saturday, making every pole a winning one en route to her first career stakes victory in the $100,000 Jill Jellison Memorial Dash at Suffolk Downs.

Fiesta ($13.40) was away alertly from post 8 in the field of 9 under Luis Ocasio and cleared the field to lead by a length, while kept just off the rail, through a quarter in 22.22 seconds. She began to edge away from the field around the turn as she got her half in 44.44 seconds, and continued to power on in the stretch to win by 2 1/2 lengths. She completed the five furlongs on turf rated yielding in 58.40 seconds.

Fiesta, a Speightstown filly trained by Joe Sharp, has now won back-to-back races, as she previously took an allowance-optional claiming event in July at Indiana Grand. In her lone prior stakes try, she finished 10th in the Holiday Inaugural Stakes in December on Turfway Park's Polytrack.

Orecchiette chased Fiesta around the course in second throughout, finishing 1 1/2 lengths clear of rallying Eye On Berlin, the longest shot on the board. It was another five lengths back to favored My Sister Caro - also trained by Sharp - who raced evenly in fourth after being jumped at the break.

Earlier, Desert Wonder recorded his first win in four starts this season in the $50,000 Massachussetts Sire Stakes, leading nearly every step of the way for a 1 1/4-length score.

Desert Wonder, who had Oscar Gomez aboard for trainer Bruce Anderson, returned to the races in June following a 20-month layoff. He had finished second in this race in 2016.