Mutamakina outruns Etoile in Dance Smartly

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Mutamakina got the jump on another Saratoga shipper, the favored Etoile, and won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly under a shrewd ride from Dylan Davis at Woodbine on Sunday.

Mutamakina ($8.80) tracked the leading Alnaseem through moderate splits in the 1 1/4-mile grass event for fillies and mares, as Etoile bided her time some five lengths back in fifth along the rail.

Mutamakina assumed command in the stretch while opening up a clear lead with an eighth left. Etoile angled outside for the final furlong, but her closing bid fell a half-length short of Mutakamina, who completed the distance in 2:01.26.

Merveilleux ran the race of her life to finish another neck back in third, a half-length ahead of Court Return. Blame Debbie, Alnaseem and Afleet Katherine competed the order of finish.

“She ran a phenomenal race,” Davis said. “I had to get into her early, but she was able to hold off the late closers. I saw (Alnaseem) had good speed. I was able to put her into a good stalking position. She did switch her leads down the backside a few times. It was just a little bit of guidance. I had to get into her. I was a little worried about that. Once she straightened up, she saw where she needed to go. She ran very strongly to the wire.”

A daughter of Nathaniel trained by Christophe Clement, Mutamakina earned $105,000 of the $180,950 purse for Al Shira’aa Farms.

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