Meadowlands: Tempting Flames resurgent in Three Diamonds

Odds-on favorite Tempting Flames took a harsh shuffle as the tempo collapsed but found clearance to spring back and emerge a 1:53 1/5 winner in the $300,000 Grade 1 Three Diamonds for rookie pacing fillies on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

Driver Jason Bartlett hustled Tempting Flames forward to clear control and parked 96-1 challenger Too Pink To Pass heading for a 27 1/5 first quarter. Second-over Cleveland Darby then looped three-wide and crossed over to lead while maintaining speed to a 54 3/5 half. Cleveland Darby began to waver heading for the last turn, at which point Holy launched from a second-over seat to sweep by tiring rivals.

Tempting Flames got bumped as Cleveland Darby backed out of contention, but Bartlett found a seam around as Holy clocked three-quarters in 1:24. Holy labored in the stretch on an open-length lead that diminished once Tempting Flames split rivals and laid aim on the leader late. Tempting Flames zipped by at the inside in the final sixteenth and clinched a 1 1/2 length win over Holy and closing JK Alwaysbpositive, both of whom finished second in a dead heat. Loyal To The End took fourth.

"We got out of the gate really too quick," Jason Bartlett said after the race. "I really wanted to follow Yannick's horse, but obviously something went wrong in the last turn so we got ourselves in a really, really bad spot. It's amazing she got stopped like that and was able to pick it back up and win the race. All credit to her."

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Michael Hitchcock trains Tempting Flames for owner William Hartt. Hitchcock, based in Ohio and a native of Maine, notched his first Meadowlands victory with the win by his Catch The Fire-Hotshot Temptress filly. Winning her sixth race from 11 starts, Tempting Flames has now banked $472,012.

"Mike - we grew up together in Maine racing at the fairs, Bangor, Scarborough," Bartlett also said. “To share this moment with him, with Billy [Hartt]-I'm sure he’s watching and will critique that drive pretty good. I got to thank him and Mike."

"To get a win here is pretty cool," Mike Hitchcock said. "Training her down, she's been just perfect. She's been just a dream to have in the barn, and she was great through the summer. We bought her last fall, and it's been a great ride with her so far. She's very manageable, and to overcome that [trip] is pretty amazing."

Tempting Flames paid $3.40 to win.