Lady Scarlet sits a perfect trip in Cicada score

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Lady Scarlet used her outside post and her positional speed to perfection Saturday, stalking from third a pair of dueling leaders and running away from them in the stretch to win the $100,000 Cicada for 3-year-old fillies by 4 3/4 lengths at Aqueduct.

Monshun, part of the early pace battle with Lady Milagro, finished second, 4 1/2 lengths in front of slow-starting Rosebug. Lady Milagro finished fourth and was followed by Sweet Solare and Exxaltress.

The win was the second straight and third from seven career starts for Lady Scarlet, a daughter of Union Rags. She was claimed for $150,000 out of a winning effort last Nov. 21 by Mike Maker on behalf of Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher. Lady Scarlet has won two of three starts for those connections.

Lady Scarlet’s two previous wins had come when she was drawn on the outside. Saturday, under Kendrick Carmouche, Lady Scarlet broke from the outside in this six-horse field and was a stalking third, behind Lady Milagro and Monshun, who dueled through a quarter in 22.19 seconds. Carmouche had Lady Scarlet right with the leaders after a half-mile in 45.73 and the filly had plenty left with which to finish, widening her advantage in the final sixteenth.

:: Want to start playing with a $510 bankroll and have access to free Formulator? Learn more

“I just had to make sure I kept her aggressive enough to keep those two horses in front of me and keep the other ones inside and she just did the rest,” Carmouche said. “I don’t think she needs the lead, but I don’t know how she would do if dirt would hit her because I had an outside position.”

Lady Scarlet covered the six furlongs in 1:11.17 and returned $14 as the fifth choice in the field of six.

Monshun, making her first start since she won her debut last August, did well to finish a clear second after chasing fast early fractions. She was sent off the 8-5 favorite.

“My plan was to come out running, I had a half-length on Eric [Cancel on Lady Milagro] and I guess he decided to go on with it,” said Dylan Davis, who rode Monshun. “At that point, I’m just teaching my filly to relax a little bit. I wanted the lead, but after that I was just trying to ride my race.”