Wild Vine, in his two starts as a 7-year-old, has clearly demonstrated that he has plenty more to offer. After a convincing allowance score at Parx Racing last month, the gelding shipped to Laurel Park on Saturday and dominated in the $100,000 Native Dancer Stakes. With a powerful bid from fourth in the 1 1/8-mile race, the Jamie Ness trainee kicked clear with authority on the far turn and extended to win by 6 1/2 lengths under jockey Yedsit Hazlewood. A high-level allowance contender for most of his career, he cashed in for the first time in stakes company Saturday. “[Around 7 years old] is usually when they're starting to go the other way, but not this guy,” Ness said. “At least not right now. So, yeah, really happy with those efforts and couldn't be more with the way he’s been doing.” Late Nite Call, a 15-1 longshot running on a seven-day turnaround, took the early lead in the Native Dancer, breezing through the opening quarter-mile in 23.77 before sustaining an early challenge from Over and Ollie through a half-mile in 48.01. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Over and Ollie took over for a time after Late Nite Call faded, but he had nothing to offer when Hazlewood sent Wild Vine to the front. Warp Nine, another Parx shipper who finished second behind Wild Vine last month, also made a nice move from fifth for trainer Harold Wyner, but he was powerless again behind the eventual winner. In firm command well before the wire, Wild Vine completed the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:51.42. He paid $4.40 to win. “He had a powerful stretch ride, and he seems like he’s getting better,” Ness said. “We’re really happy with the way he's progressing. Worked really well last week, and you usually practice the way you play, and he practiced well.” Warp Nine held on for second by three-quarters of a length over Xcellent Start, a 24-1 longshot who came calling too late for trainer Wade Sanderson. In 29 career starts, Wild Vine has earned 11 victories and nearly $500,000 in purse money, but despite all his success over the years, he has never been in better form. Ness mentioned the Grade 3 Pimlico Special as a remote possibility at Laurel next month. Heavenly Cause Stakes Juan Carlos Guerrero wasn’t sure what to expect from Boutwell Time off a three-month layoff, as a harsh winter at Parx Racing resulted in an inconsistent training schedule. But with an honest effort and a little luck at Laurel Park, the 4-year-old filly landed in a three-horse field and took advantage to win the $100,000 Heavenly Cause Stakes on Saturday. “I missed so many days,” Guerrero said. “In my heart, I knew she could take them, but I was a little afraid of the time off. But then I said, ‘You know what? She likes to run fresh. Maybe it will be okay.’” Since entering Guerrero’s barn last summer, Boutwell Time has transformed from a struggling, skittish also-ran into a surefire contender in the Mid-Atlantic region. She has now won four straight starts, including two stakes at Parx and Laurel. Throughout the week, the Heavenly Cause was widely considered another tuneup start for Takethemoneyhoney, who would have been a heavy favorite going for her fifth stakes victory. Trainer Mike Moore cross-entered her between the Heavenly Cause and Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct, but after leaning toward Laurel for a time, he ultimately scratched from both races when the mare went off her feed late in the week. Guerrero also cross-entered Boutwell Time in the Distaff and agonized between the two races for most of the week. The trainer wanted to avoid Takethemoneyhoney at all costs, and a helpful call from Moore late in the week helped decide his course. “Michael Moore called and said he didn’t really like the way his filly was looking,” Guerrero said. “I don't know what really happened. But he told me he was scratching. I was like, ‘oh, really?’ He said he wanted to let me know so I didn’t scratch because he knew I didn’t want to run against her.” Though the field lost its heavy favorite, along with outsiders Ms Notion and Kissedbyanangel, two strong local contenders remained to challenge Guerrero’s Parx shipper. At 5-2, Boutwell Time went off as the longest shot behind three-time stakes winner Complexity Jane and Atlantis Queen, winner of the $100,000 Nellie Morse last time out. Angel Cruz, who went on to win two stakes races on the Laurel card, was under strict instructions to find a middle position for Boutwell Time early on in the mile race. While Complexity Jane cruised ahead through an opening quarter-mile in 24.72 seconds and a half-mile in 47.97, Cruz and Boutwell Time bided their time in second after breaking sharply. Atlantis Queen never fired from third, so when Complexity Jane began to wear down entering the far turn, Boutwell Time was the only one prepared to capitalize. Cruz urged his filly down the center and easily surged ahead to a four-length victory. She completed the mile in 1:38.37 and paid $7.40 to win. “She broke great out of the gate, and she was right there and I'm like, ‘oh boy,’” Guerrero said. “I was a little afraid because she usually comes from off the pace a little better, so I didn’t know if she would have the same kick. But she looked so relaxed running today. I felt really good about it when I was watching it.” Complexity Jane easily held second for trainer Brittany Russell, finishing four lengths clear of the Gary Capuano-trained Atlantis Queen. Guerrero did not offer a firm commitment for Boutwell Time’s next start, but a graded stakes at Aqueduct is still in the cards. If she continues progressing in training, he may target the Grade 2 Ruffian on May 9. Primonetta Stakes Wondrous shipped to Laurel Park on Saturday and found the perfect spot, pulling away to earn her first stakes victory by 4 3/4 lengths in the $100,000 Primonetta. Coming off a victory by the same margin in a first-level allowance at Fair Grounds in February, trainer Brendan Walsh felt validated when his filly stepped forward to defeat three rivals in a new locale. “It just seemed like an easier spot,” Walsh said. “We had her in the [$250,000 Matron] at Oaklawn last week and it came up super tough. It was very important that we tried to get a stakes win with her, she being a half to Maxfield and Loved. We thought it was the right spot for her, the distance was good, and it all worked out good.” In his second stakes victory Saturday, Angel Cruz pulled Wondrous away from the early lead, settling back in fourth before re-entering contention near the far turn. Twirling Beauty, the pacesetter trained by David Duggan, traveled well while dueling with Dwelling Legacy through an opening quarter-mile in 22.55 seconds, but she struggled to hold off Wondrous while completing the half-mile in 46.33. With a powerful burst turning for home, Cruz and Wondrous opened up a 2 1/2-length advantage at the top of the stretch and never looked back. She completed the six-furlong sprint in 1:11.91. “[Cruz] rode her exactly as I told him,” Walsh said. “There was plenty of speed in there. I told him just not to be too far away from it, but to follow it, and he did it really well.” Twirling Beauty weakened in the closing stages but held second by three-quarters of a length over Dwelling Legacy, who never made a compelling move for command late. Wisconsin Gal, a 12-1 longshot, rounded out the field of four and was never involved. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.