Meadowlands: Caviart Belle holds off challengers in Three Diamonds final

Caviart Belle took the lead on the backstretch and held off 1-9 favorite My Girl EJ in the lane to win Saturday's (Nov. 25) $376,000 Three Diamonds, for 2-year-old female pacers, by a neck in 1:50 3/5 at the Meadowlands. Miraculous Deo finished third.

Sarasota Hanover and Miraculous Deo left quickly at the start, from posts eight and nine, respectively, while Caviart Belle and driver Yannick Gingras were third on the first turn from post three. Sarasota Hanover led to the opening quarter in 27 1/5, but Caviart Belle already was on the move to the front and took the field to the half in 55 4/5 and three-quarters in 1:23.

My Girl EJ had started a first-over move from fourth prior to the halfway point and was second entering the stretch, but she was unable to overtake Caviart Belle, who was racing for the first time since winning the Kindergarten Classic Series final on Nov. 4 at the Meadowlands.

"She didn't feel quite as sharp in the post parade; three weeks ago, in the Kindergarten final, she was kind of dragging me around in the post parade and felt so sharp," Gingras said. "Tonight, she wasn't quite like that. But she's a really tough filly and it seemed like the move to make at the time (to go to the front), but she needed the wire. All those fillies needed the wire.

"The last place I wanted to be was on the front. She can get it done on the front - she's a good filly - but I don't think it’s her best game. If she can have live cover like she did in the Kindergarten final, she can just smoke for a quarter; she is just so fast. But that's just the way it worked out."

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Nancy Takter trains Caviart Belle for owner Caviart Farms. The daughter of Captaintreacherous-Eloquent Grace was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms. She has won seven of 13 races this year and earned more than $450,000.

Sent off as the 7-2 second choice, Caviart Belle paid $9.60 to win.