Monmouth: New York shippers one, two

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Sixtyone Margaux and Dubai Fall battled heads apart from the eighth pole to the wire, with Sixtyone Margaux prevailing by a head in the $50,000 Serena's Song Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth.

Sixtyone Margaux ran the mile and 70 yards over a fast track in 1:42.25 with jockey Julian Pimentel aboard. She improved to 3-1-0 in five lifetime starts, and gave New York-based trainer Bill Mott his first stakes win of the meet in his third stakes try. Maresha finished 1 3/4 lengths behind Dubai Fall in third.

Sixtyone Margaux and Dubai Fall were both making their stakes debut. Sixtyone Margaux, the even-money favorite, was exiting an allowance win at Belmont on May 31. Dubai Fall, a daughter of Mr. Prospector, broke her maiden by more than 14 lengths in her last start, at Belmont on May 18. Dubai Fall, sent off at 9-2, completed a $17 exacta.

* Autonomy, a 5-year-old Irish-bred trained by Phil Oliver, won the ninth race, a one-mile optional claimer on the turf, for his second consecutive win. Autonomy ($15.20) came charging late and held off a rally from Rhythm Band to win by a neck in 1:34.80.

Rhythm Band, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, has earned nearly

$1.3 million in his career, most of it from a victory in the $2 million Dubai Duty Free on March 25, 2000. A 6-year-old, Rhythm Band has not won in nine starts since the Dubai Duty Free.

Attendance Saturday was 10,540.