Sea Chanter scores in Pearl Necklace

ELMONT, N.Y. - Sea Chanter, as expected, scored a convincing victory Sunday in the $64,950 Pearl Necklace Stakes at Belmont Park.

The race conditions perfectly suited the 4-year-old trained by Todd Pletcher. The stakes was restricted to fillies and mares "which have not won a graded sweepstakes in 2008-2009."

Her lone previous win over the past two seasons was an allowance victory at Belmont last fall.

Recently, Sea Chanter had kept very exclusive company, running in four straight graded stakes, including a pair of third-place finishes behind Seattle Smooth in the Grade 2 Shuvee and the Grade 1 Odgen Phipps handicaps at Belmont.

This was major class relief, and Sea Chanter took full advantage. She went off at 3-10 odds, blowing past the competition in the lane with John Velazquez aboard. At the wire, Sea Chanter had 5 1/2 lengths on My Dinah with All Night Labor third.

The time was 1:44.32 for 1 1/16 miles on the fast track.