Recepta earns first graded stakes win in Noble Damsel

The sixth time was the charm for Recepta, who garnered her first graded stakes win with a solid finish in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Noble Damsel at Belmont Park.

Coming off a win in the De La Rose at Saratoga, Recepta ($14.60) settled in mid-pack early beneath Elvis Trujillo, as Miss Frost set the pace under pressure from a headstrong Tuttipaesi and Devilish Love.

Recepta rallied four wide into the stretch and prevailed by a half-length over Lady Lara, who was next-to-last early and was forced widest of all turning for home. Crowley’s Law was off slow and finished well for third in her U.S. debut, while Coffee Clique was a non-threatening fourth as the 2-1 favorite.

“I had a perfect trip,” said Trujillo, who brought in Smooth Daddy at a $61.50 mutuel in the following race. “Three or four horses went to the lead. At the three-eighths pole they started to stop and the horses next to me started putting pressure on them. When I turned for home, I asked her and she was gone.”

Recepta, a 4-year-old Speightstown filly owned and bred by Phillips Racing Partnership, and trained by Jimmy Toner, upped her career record to 5 wins from 11 starts and earned $120,000. She ran one mile on a firm Widener turf course in 1:33.32, the fifth-fastest time since the race was shortened from 1 1/16 miles in 1997, and the fastest since another Phillips homebred, Wonder Again, won the 2003 renewal in 1:33.07.

“I think the key to her development this year is more maturity than anything,” said Toner, who trained Wonder Again as well. “She was kind of washy and sort of flighty last year and couldn’t take too much. We gave her the winter off and brought her back in the spring, and she’s taken every step that we’ve wanted her to take. We’ll probably come back in the Athenia [Oct. 17]. She’ll have two more starts this year, and if she comes back next year bigger and stronger I think she can develop into something special.”