Tidal Dance easy winner in Ladies

Tidal Dance came from off the pace for a comprehensive victory over three rivals in Saturday's at Aqueduct.

Freshened by design after winning the Affectionately Stakes in mid-winter for Mike Hushion, Tidal Dance ($3) was allowed to settle into stride through the early stages as longshot Quiet Mover sped to a clear lead through fractions of 24.93 and 50.71 seconds while prompted by 5-2 second-choice Love's Blush.

Tidal Dance gathered momentum three wide around the far turn under Channing Hill, collared the leaders with five-sixteenths of a mile remaining, and drove clear from Love's Blush to win the nation's oldest stakes race exclusively for fillies and mares by 2 1/4 lengths.

"Love's Blush and Quiet Mover broke sharply, and my filly broke a tad slow," said Hill. "She put in a sustained run at three-eighths pole, and that's what won the race. She did it easily."

Distinctively finished well for third, a half-length behind Love's Blush. Quiet Mover faded to last, as the quartet finished in pari-mutuel order.

First run in 1868 at Jerome Park, the Ladies was brought back for its 139th running after a one-year hiatus. It was run primarily at 12 furlongs and then 10 furlongs through most of the 20th century, and was shortened this year to 1 1/8 miles for the first time since 1892.

Tidal Dance ran the distance in 1:53.59 over a fast inner track and earned $60,000.

"There didn't appear to be much speed today, which changed everything," said Hushion, who is to 11 for 15 (73.3 percent) with favorites in New York this year. "We thought she might end up on the lead, but she just wasn't in the mood for it.

"The nice part about her is that I don't think she's going to have distance limitations, which opens up a lot of options."