Spice Is Nice shows what she's made of in Allaire duPont Distaff

BALTIMORE - Spice Is Nice didn’t live up to her promise, pedigree or her price tag as a 3-year-old last year. She may be ready to do so at age 4.

Spice Is Nice, under John Velazquez, outfought Dreamalildreamofu in the stretch and edged away from that rival late to record a 1 1/2-length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Allaire duPont Distaff at Pimlico.

It was two lengths back to Getridofwhatailesu, who finished a length in front of race favorite Horologist. Landing Zone, Mrs. Danvers, Another Broad and Lucky Stride completed the order of finish.

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The victory was the fourth from seven starts for Spice Is Nice, but her first in a stakes race. She had gone winless in three previous graded tries, including a sixth-place finish in last August’s Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga. After that, she was given the remainder of the year off.

Spice Is Nice won a second-level allowance by 2 1/4 lengths at Keeneland on April 9 leading into Friday’s race.

“After the Alabama she lost weight,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who won this race for a record fourth time. “We needed to regroup, gave her some time off. It seems like it’s paid dividends. She’s come back, put on some weight, trained well like she always does. She had the perfect prep race back. Felt this was good timing and knew she’d handle the mile and an eighth.”

Spice Is Nice acted up a touch in the gate, but broke sharp and put herself in the race, stalking Dreamalildreamofu through a quarter in 23.54 seconds and a half-mile in 47.62.

Spice Is Nice put her head in front at the three-eighths pole, and duked it out with Dreamalildreamofu until inside the sixteenth pole before edging clear.

Spice Is Nice, a daughter of Grade 1 winners Curlin and Dame Dorothy who sold for $1,050,000 to Robert and Lawana Low at the Keeneland 2018 September sale, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.71, earning a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. She returned $6.60 as the second choice.

“We weren’t exactly sure who all was going to show some speed,” Pletcher said. “A couple of fillies in here that sometimes do, sometimes don’t. Our main focus was getting her away in good order and getting in a good rhythm, which when she does that she’s very effective.”

Velazquez said Spice Is Nice idled a little bit when she made the lead.

“She’s not used to being that close to the lead,” Velazquez said. “She was just waiting for the competition. She kind of fooled with the horse inside of her.”

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Brad Cox trained both the second- and third-place finishers. He expected Dreamalildreamofu to be on the lead, but didn’t expect Getridofwhatailesu to be so far back early under Javier Castellano.

“Javier said early on she didn’t show a lot of interest and he had to ask her to keep up,” Cox said. “The other filly, the plan was to get out there and go. I guess it worked out - she got a graded placing.”