Filly-Mare Turf: Stay Forever gets up late

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Stay Forever hasn't run often for a 6-year-old, but she sure has made every start count. Racing for just the eighth time Saturday, she scored the richest victory of her career in the $350,000 .

Ridden by Jose Santos, Stay Forever rallied from 10th to win the 1 1/8-mile race by 1 1/4 lengths over Cellars Shiraz, the 2-1 favorite who had pulled away to an open lead in midstretch before being run down by Stay Forever. Maliziosa was another neck back in third and Libretto was fourth in the field of 12.

The top four finishers were Florida-breds.

Stay Forever, bred and owned by Santa Cruz Ranch Inc., returned $9.20 and ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.84 over a firm turf. She has six wins, a second, and a third in a career that began in November 2000, but was interrupted for nearly 20 months after her second start.

"She had bowed a tendon, and that's why she was away so long," said Marty Wolfson, who trains Stay Forever.