Paulassvilverlining delivers as Vagrancy favorite

Paulassilverlining looked best on paper, and when jockey Jose Ortiz worked out a perfect trip on the odds-on favorite, it was lights out in the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Paulassilverlining broke from post 1 and made the early lead in the 6 1/2-furlong Vagrancy, but when West Coast Chick and Momameamaria went forward Ortiz eased her back to sit in the pocket down the backstretch and around the turn. A sizeable gap opened between the pacesetters as the five-horse field straightened for home, Paulassilverlining hit it with good energy, and that was that. She ran on comfortably to a 3 1/4-length victory, her second straight Grade 3 win for trainer Michelle Nevin and owner-breeder Vincent Scuderi.

West Coast Chick held on for second, three-quarters of a length in front of Stormy Sky. Paulassilverlining, the 120-pound highweight, was timed in 1:15.82 and paid $2.40 to win.

Paulassilverlining, by Ghostzapper and out of the Grindstone mare Seeking the Silver, won for the sixth time in 13 starts. She has won three of her four starts this year at age 4 and beat subsequent impressive Ruffian Stakes winner Cavorting by almost four lengths April 17 in the Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct.

Soaring Softly: Lightstream still perfect

The 3-year-old filly Lightstream took her talents to the Belmont turf course Saturday and ran her record to three wins from three starts with a relatively hard-fought victory in the $100,000 Soaring Softly Stakes.

A debut winner over seven furlongs on dirt at Gulfstream Park in March, Lightstream won the Grade 3 Beaumont Stakes over a little more than seven furlongs on dirt in April at Keeneland, and trainer Brian Lynch decided to try and broaden the horizons of Lightstream with a try on turf.

It began badly, with Lightstream away awkwardly and last as the seven-furlong Soaring Softly got underway. Jockey Eric Cancel let her move inside into position down the backstretch through fractions of 22.90 and 45.84 seconds on a firm, fast-playing inner turf course. Cancel tipped Lightstream to the far outside turning for home and got a decent initial turn of foot, but Lightstream failed to leave her competition and was ridden assertively to beat Summer Reading and Welcoming, who finished a close second and third.

Lightstream ($5) was timed in 1:20.54 for seven furlongs. A $55,000 sales buy bred by Anne Marie Farm, she’s by Harlan’s Holiday and out of the Arch mare North Beach. Lynch trains her for Up Hill Stable and Head of Plains Partners.