'Isola Piu' cruises in Sixty Sails

STICKNEY, Ill. - There is little chance John Velazquez will see gritty Hawthorne Race Course again this year, but his brief trip here Saturday produced two graded stakes wins and $300,000 in purse money.

A half-hour after his physically demanding ride on Pollard's Vision netted a win in the National Jockey Club Handicap, Velazquez guided Isola Piu Bella to a two-length score in the Grade 3, $250,000 . Both horses are trained by Todd Pletcher, who also won Saturday's Lexington at Keeneland with Coin Silver.

"They told me where to go, and that was it," Velazquez said.

Isola Piu Bella is here by way of Chile, where she was bred and made the first 11 starts of her career. Imported to the United States, Isola Piu Bella missed more than a year of racing before emerging in January at Gulfstream Park, where she won the Grade 3 Sabin on Feb. 26 and finished second in the Grade 2 Rampart a month later.

Still, it was the Bobby Frankel-trained Personal Legend who was the 9-5 favorite in the Sixty Sails, and third-choice Injustice who set out for the early lead from her inside post. Longshot Uninhibited Song applied surprising early pace pressure, forcing Injustice into a quick 46.94-second half-mile. The speed horses would wind up at the back of the field, but on the turn, racing wide, Isola Piu Bella started moving. She passed the fading speed, passed Ghostly Gate, and hit the front at the top of the stretch. Velazquez kept her focused, but Isola Piu Bella was never challenged in the final furlong. Rare Gift made a mild run for second, five lengths in front of Ghostly Gate. Personal Legend wound up fourth, followed by Friel's For Real, Injustice, and Uninhibited Song.

Isola Piu Bella, timed in 1:49.58 for nine furlongs, paid $6.80 to win.