Giovanna Blues scores first stakes win in Flaming Page

The long-winded Giovanna Blues came from last to give trainer Francine Villeneuve her first stakes win in Sunday’s $104,000 Flaming Page at Woodbine.

With Gary Boulanger aboard, Giovanna Blues ($23.20) raced wide in seventh entering the long backstretch in the 1 1/2-mile marathon. She made a three-wide bid into contention on the far turn and then wore down pacesetter Ambitious Moon in the drive to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths in a time of 2:29.54 over a yielding main turf course.

War Cabinet finished third, and the favored Pamina faded to fourth after attending the pace.

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“Francine and I have been working with this filly since the spring,” Boulanger said. “Every week has gotten better and stronger, and I got to know more about her. Her last breeze was just phenomenal. I said ‘Frannie, this filly is doing really, really well.'

“I thought I had a big chance in here. There were a couple shippers, but she had shown every sign that she wanted to go further. She was thriving off her racing and training. When I was that close at the five-eighths pole, I thought someone was going to really have to run to get by me. She kicked on, and kept going. You’re happy because of all the work we’ve done together. You like seeing your students going forward.”

A 6-year-old by Gio Ponti, Giovanna Blues earned $60,000 in her first stakes score for the partnership of Dogwood Plantation, Larry Marcus, and Dora Alcon.