Sweet Hope loves slop in Endine

Sweet Hope passed her first test against older fillies and mares and handled her first experience over a wet track when she held off Cash's Girl by a half-length to win Saturday's Grade 3, $205,000 Endine Stakes at Delaware Park.

The lone horse equipped with mud calks in a field reduced to seven by two scratches, Sweet Hope ($5.20) dueled with Hungarian Boatbaby through fractions of 22.12 and 45.12 seconds in the six-furlong race, opened up a 1 1/2-length lead in midstretch, and had enough energy left to thwart a late bid by Cash's Girl. She completed the distance over the sloppy and sealed track in 1:10.07.

Ridden by Gabriel Saez for trainer Larry Jones, Sweet Hope had displayed an affinity for Delaware's main track when she won an overnight stakes by three lengths with a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure in June, then stepped up to Grade 1 stakes company to finish second to last year's champion juvenile filly, Indian Blessing, in the Test at Saratoga.

The $120,000 winner's share of the purse nearly doubled Sweet Hope's lifetime earnings to $242,209.

Cash's Girl, who had been perfect in three starts locally, was 1 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Hungarian Boatbaby.

* P V Lightening ($30.60) overtook tiring pacesetter Mister Triester and drew off to a 7 3/4-length win over Better Than Bonds in the $100,000 Owners' Day Handicap.

A 4-year-old gelding ridden by Travis Dunkelberger for trainer Gary Capuano, P V Lightening ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.98.

Solar Flare, second in the Grade 1 Suburban Handicap two starts ago, was a non-threatening third as the 3-5 favorite.

* Pyramyst ($3.40) ran down pacesetter All Night Labor in deep stretch to score by 1 1/4 lengths in the $102,500 George Rosenberger Memorial Stakes for fillies and mares.

The lone runner entered for the main track only, the 6-year-old Pyramyst benefited when the 1 1/16-mile race was taken off the turf following heavy rain and eight horses were scratched. She has been first or second in 10 straight starts since trainer Peter Walder claimed her for $10,000 in August 2007 at Arlington Park. The winning time was 1:45.97.