Jessica's Star rallies for one-length victory in Iowa Derby

ALTOONA, Iowa – The progressive Jessica's Star ($21.20) staged a four-wide rally under Prairie Meadows’ leading rider, David Mello, to catch a game Embellishing Bob for a one-length tally in Saturday's Grade 3 Iowa Derby.

Jessica's Star, who had shipped here May 31 for a neck victory in the $75,000 Prairie Mile for trainer Michael Stidham, parlayed that win into his first graded stakes success.

Embellishing Bob, racing around two turns for the first time, hugged the rail throughout while dictating the pace through fractions of 23.70 seconds, 46.81, and 1:11.32.

The 7-5 favorite Vicar's in Trouble attended the pace but could not get past the runner-up and wound up third, two lengths behind Embellishing Bob in the group of nine colts and geldings.

The locally based pair of Russellin and Smack Smack stayed in the Prairie Meadows mud to garner fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Conditioned at Churchill Downs by Stidham, Jessica's Star, a Magna Graduate gelding, earned $150,000 for owner Mark D. Breen.

He got the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:44.12 over a track rated "sloppy" following heavy rain that had fallen in the late afternoon hours.