Lacie Girl uses her speed

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Heavily favored Lacie Girl ($3.60) showed more speed than usual as she captured the $68,700 Sunnyvale Handicap at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

Lacie Girl broke sharply, and jockey Russell Baze let her run down the backstretch. The 4-year-old filly, who has never finished worse than second in 10 northern California starts, had been coming from off the pace in her recent starts.

Brite Sunny Day set the early pace but Lacie Girl easily overtook her after passing the quarter pole and was unchallenged down the stretch. She won the six-furlong race by 3 3/4 lengths over Fancee Bargain in 1:08.99.

"She ran well," winning trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. "I told Russell to make her show more speed."

Hollendorfer is undecided what is next for Lacie Girl, who earned $33,600 to lift her career earnings to $223,350 with seven wins in 11 starts.

"I could freshen her and bring her back in the fall, but you hate to turn them out when they're running so well," he said.

Art Sherman, trainer of the runner-up, Fancee Bargain, said the 7-year-old mare would remain in northern California this summer and run in stakes races on the fair circuit.

A B Noodle, a multiple stakes winner who was making her first start in seven months, finished last.

Jockey Frank Alvarado had no explanation for A B Noodle, who finished off the board for only the second time in her career.

"She was going nice and easy and comfortable, but at the three-eighths, I was done," he said.