Search Results outruns Miss Brazil in Busher Invitational

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Search Results overcame a slow start to win her first career start. She overcame a lack of experience to win her second.

Search Results, a four-length debut winner at Gulfstream two months ago, outfinished the stakes-winning Miss Brazil to win Saturday’s $250,000 Busher Invitational by a half-length at Aqueduct. It was 5 3/4 lengths back to The Grass Is Blue in third.

Laobanonaprayer was fourth, followed by Make Mischief and Mo Desserts.

In her debut at Gulfstream, on Jan. 3, Search Results broke poorly and had to rally from off the pace to win by four lengths. On Saturday, under Javier Castellano, Search Results broke very well, and was a tracking second, about a length off Miss Brazil through a quarter in 24.53 seconds, a half-mile in 49.64 and six furlongs 1:15.14. When Search Results confronted Miss Brazil, the latter had something left to fight back. But inside the sixteenth pole, Search Results edged clear to gain the victory.

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Castellano said that Search Results didn’t switch leads on cue and hesitated a little bit, perhaps from the motion of Eric Cancel using his whip on Miss Brazil.

“But when I asked and cranked her up she went and did it easy when she passed the other horse,” Castellano said.

Search Results, a daughter of Flatter trained by Chad Brown for Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, covered the mile in 1:39.75 and returned $6.30 as the second choice.

Tony Dutrow, the trainer of Miss Brazil, said his filly “finished to the best of her ability. I’m not disappointed. I thought she ran good. Obviously, [Search Results] is pretty good.”

Search Results earned 50 qualifying points toward the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks on April 30. She would be a candidate for the Grade 2, $250,000 Gazelle Stakes here April 30. The Gazelle is run at 1 1/8 miles around two turns.

“I think she’s going to be a good filly in the future,” Castellano said. “Two turns, even better.”

Lake Avenue wins Heavenly Prize

Lake Avenue ($3.90) lived up to her odds-on favoritism with a dominant 6 3/4-length victory in the $125,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational for older fillies and mares.

Confidently handled by Manny Franco, Lake Avenue sat a joint third, about three lengths off the pace set by Portal Creek and stalked by Flashndynamite.

After six furlongs were run in 1:13.82, Franco asked Lake Avenue to run and she quickly overtook Portal Creek and jogged home through the lane for the victory.

Portal Creek, under Jorge Vargas Jr., finished second, 2 3/4 lengths in front of Flashndynamite. Needs Supervision was fourth followed by Halo City, Landing Zone, Thankful, and Gone Glimmering.

Lake Avenue, a Godolphin home-bred daughter of Grade 1 winners Tapit and Seventh Street trained by Bill Mott, covered the mile in 1:39.25 and returned $3.90 as the favorite.

Franco said he was most concerned about Thankful, the Ladies Handicap winner, but that filly didn’t show up while finishing seventh of eight.

“I knew I had a lot of horse, I didn’t want to move too soon because I knew the horse that could beat me [Thankful] was behind me,” Franco said. “I took a look back to see where she was at and when the moment came, I just pressed the button and she just took off.”