Sweet Emma Rose hangs on in Crank It Up

Sweet Emma Rose has been accustomed to racing five furlongs. The slightly longer distance of Saturday’s $61,200 Crank It Up Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park nearly was too much for Sweet Emma Rose to handle, as a clear advantage nearly evaporated in the final furlong.

But jockey Abel Lezcano managed to keep Sweet Emma Rose running long enough to enable her to prevail in a three-horse photo with Rogue Lady and fast-closing Red Minx. Puddifoot faded to last of nine as the even-money favorite.

Racing for the first time since April at Pimlico, Sweet Emma Rose ($13.80) went straight to the front, opened up by 3 ½ lengths, and barely hung on by a neck to win her first stakes in the 5 ½-furlong Crank It Up. Her best previous stakes performance came last June, when she was second in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot.

Trained by Wesley Ward for Hal Creek Racing, Sweet Emma Rose completed the distance in 1:03.xx for her third win in seven career starts.

Rogue Lady, coming out of a maiden claiming win at Gulfstream Park in March, cut into the winner’s margin in deep stretch to outrun her 20-1 odds and got second by a head. Red Minx, who broke awkwardly and spotted the field several lengths, rallied strongly to get third at 9-2.