Pretty Ana holds off Alpine Princess in Comely Stakes

Pretty Ana battled through the stretch for a head win over favorite Alpine Princess in the Grade 3, $200,000 Comely on Saturday at Aqueduct.

It was another 5 1/2 lengths back in third to Scalable.

The 1 1/8-mile race was for 3-year-old fillies.

Pretty Ana ($9.40) broke from the rail, moved to the lead, and dueled with Dorothy’s Dream through fractions of 24.41 seconds for the opening quarter, 49.22 for the half-mile and 1:13.65 for six furlongs.

Alpine Princess pushed the two along, joined Pretty Ana at the quarter pole, and the race was on through the lane. Pretty Ana ultimately held off the favorite while covering the distance on a fast track in 1:49.99.

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“She is a very nice filly,” winning rider Jose Lezcano told the New York Racing Association publicity department. “When she got to the lead, she relaxed herself. When I asked her to go, she went on and won the race. She was running, and the other filly, too, she gave me a good race."

Alpine Princess was up for the battle, said her rider, Manny Franco.

“My filly was trying so hard,” Franco told NYRA. “I have to give credit to the winner. She never gave up, she was competitive. I was right there.”

Chad Brown trains Pretty Ana for her breeder, Three Chimneys Farm. She is a daughter of Quality Road and a half-sister to Hall of Fame racehorse and top class sire Gun Runner.

Pretty Ana was winning her first stakes race in the Comely. She is now 2 for 9 for earnings of $203,869.

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