What a Pear takes Busher to go 4 for 4

What a Pear remained undefeated from four starts with her most impressive performance to date, a dominating 10 1/4-length victory in Sunday's $70,330 Busher Stakes at Aqueduct.

Receiving a ground-saving trip from Channing Hill, What a Pear bided her time in third position before launching a bid at the three-eighths pole and quickly inhaling the pacesetting My Anguilla by the quarter pole. Turning for home, it was only a matter of the margin as Hill hit What a Pear just once right-handed before taking her in hand the last 50 yards.

What a Pear, a New York-bred daughter of E Dubai who runs without Lasix, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.17 and returned $6.80 as the third choice. Subprime rallied to be second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Pumpkin Shell, the Busanda winner and Busher favorite. My Anguilla, Lilly of Paradise, Kiss and Fly, and Driven by Passion completed the order of finish.

"It was ridiculous - in a great way!" winning trainer Joe Parker said. "I can't believe it. To go away from them like this, she ran huge. I'm ecstatic. When a horse performs like that, what do you need to say? The horse speaks for itself. A horse like that comes along only once in awhile."

What a Pear is owned by Ira and Bernice Cohen's Tri-Bone Stables and bred by their son Russell, a practicing veterinarian on the NYRA circuit.

What a Pear defeated New York-breds in her first two starts before winning the Wistful against open company and now the Busher. Parker said What a Pear would likely be pointed to the Grade 1, $400,000 Ashland at Keeneland on April 4.

Little Belle, last year's Busher winner, won the Ashland.