Nobody close to You

ELMONT, N.Y. - You rebounded from her disappointing effort in last month's Kentucky Oaks with authority Friday, fending off two early challenges and drawing clear for a 7 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1, $250,000 at Belmont Park.

Willa on the Move finished second, 4 3/4 lengths ahead of 3-5 favorite Bella Bellucci. Nonsuch Bay and Dust Me Off completed the order of finish. Proper Gamble was scratched because she was sick, according to trainer Todd Pletcher.

Over a moisture-laden track labeled fast that yielded sizzling times all day, You covered the mile in 1:34.05, setting a stakes record in the 72nd running of the Acorn. She paid $5 as the 3-2 second choice.

"The time was going to be fast; they were fast for ordinary horses all day," winning rider Jerry Bailey said.

Bailey said he would have preferred to lay second, but he hooked up immediately with Dust Me Off, whose jockey, Jean-Luc Samyn, was chirping to his horse leaving the gate. The two ran an opening quarter in 22.39 seconds. Dust Me Off dropped back entering the turn, and Willa on the Move picked up the chase and pushed You through a half-mile in 44.71 seconds. Though the two horses were heads apart approaching the quarter pole, You opened up turning for home when Bailey threw a couple of crosses at her.

"She exploded when she turned for home," Bailey said. "I didn't know who it was - I had a feeling it was Bella Bellucci - but I could hear him riding her behind me and nobody was catching me so I thought she had a pretty good chance."

Winning trainer Bobby Frankel liked his chances when he saw Bella Bellucci was struggling over the track.

"Turning for home I saw they were nudging on Bella Bellucci and she was out of horse because she usually comes to horses under a hold," Frankel said. "I wasn't worried about anybody else but her."

Bella Bellucci, who had been training at Aqueduct, didn't seem to care for the moisture in Belmont's main track.

"It felt like she was running in quicksand with lead boots on," said jockey Gary Stevens.

The first-place purse of $150,000 pushed You's career earnings to $1,018,545.

Frankel said the $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes on June 29 might be too close to run his filly back.

Flash: Whywhywhy avoids bad spill

There was a frightening spill on the far turn of the $109,100 Flash Stakes, involving two horses and riders.

Whywhywhy, who was able to avoid the accident, was the 5 1/2-length winner of the 2-year-old stakes for colts. Presence finished second and Down Play was third in the seven-horse field.

Renegade Warrior, the 8-5 favorite of the Grade 3 Flash, had the lead when he suffered a compound fracture in his left foreleg at the five-sixteenths pole. Renegade Warrior's jockey, Ramon Dominguez, went hurtling to the ground. Windsor Lodge, the second choice, crashed into Renegade Warrior and Windsor Lodge's rider, John Velazquez, fell heavily to the track.

Dominguez was not injured. Velazquez was taken to North Shore University Hospital for X-rays of his right knee and did not ride his last three mounts on the card.

Renegade Warrior was euthanized on the track. Windsor Lodge suffered a cut on his leg, but was not seriously injured.

Edgar Prado, who rode Whywhywhy, said he was lucky to avoid the spill.

"I was very fortunate that I was in the clear," Prado said. "That takes all the flavor [out of winning]. It leaves a bad taste when a nice baby like that or any horse gets hurt."

Whywhywhy ($17) covered the five furlongs in 57.10 seconds over a fast track. Patrick Biancone, who also is a co-owner, trains Whywhywhy.

- additional reporting by Karen M. Johnson