Paulassilverlining's nose hits wire first in Ruthless

The graded stakes winner Paulassilverlining needed to call on her class and experience advantage to outlast second-time starter Noble and a Beauty to win Sunday’s $100,000 Ruthless Stakes by a nose at soggy Aqueduct.

The win was the third in five career starts for Paulassilverlining, a daughter of Ghostzapper owned by Vincent Scuderi and trained by Michelle Nevin. Paulassilverlining was ridden to victory by Irad Ortiz Jr., who bested his brother Jose aboard Noble and a Beauty. Jose Ortiz had been aboard Paulassilverlining when she won the Grade 2 Matron going six furlongs at Belmont in October.

Sunday, on a sealed, sloppy inner track, Irad Ortiz Jr. had Paulassilverlining inside of Noble and a Beauty down the backside as both stalked Darling Sky and Dickinson, who were in front through a half-mile in 47.95 seconds.

Around the turn, Jose Ortiz went four wide on Noble and a Beauty while Irad Ortiz kept Paulassilverlining along the inside hoping for an opening. Darling Sky came off the rail turning for home, and Ortiz shot Paulassilverlining on through. She hooked up with Noble and a Beauty inside the three-sixteenths pole and the two were side by side through the lane with Paulassilverlining’s nose in front on the wire.

“I just followed the instructions given to me by Michelle, which was to stay close and wait to make a run, ” Irad Ortiz said. “[Darling Sky] tried to get out and I was able to get through.”

Paulassilverlining covered the six furlongs in 1:12.84 and returned $4.50 as the favorite.

“On the inner track, you can't give up ground, so you can't come out and around and win,” Nevin said. “He did the right thing, stayed on the rail, and had patience. Once it opened up - she's a fighter. She wants to win. She's not very big. She's small, she's stocky, and she's got that little attitude about her. We'd love to try and stretch her out, to see if she can handle it, but right now she seems to have an affinity for sprinting. We'll think things over."