Willow Case earned her second straight stakes victory in the $75,000 Hallandale Beach at Gulfstream Park on Friday, stalking the early pace and driving past Vita Mia in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length. The race unfolded exactly as trainer Ramon Minguet predicted, and his filly proved just as capable stretching out to a mile. “I am very happy with Willow Case's victory,” Minguet said. “She is a filly that has shown great quality. I was sure that she would adjust better at the mile.” Despite winning the $75,000 Sharp Susan at 27-1 odds last month, Willow Case still didn’t earn a full-throated endorsement from bettors, going off as the 3-1 third choice in the field of six. She paid $8.80 to win. Vita Mia, a last-out maiden winner trained by Armando De La Cerda, earned 6-5 favoritism while Tessellate, runner-up behind Willow Case in the Sharp Susan, went off as the 3-2 second choice for Saffie Joseph Jr. The two fillies went straight to the front end and 48-1 longshot Triple Threat rushed forward to challenge through an opening quarter-mile in 24.02 seconds. At first, it didn’t seem like the heavy favorites would run one another out of the race, but applying pressure on one another took its toll as they continued dueling on the backstretch. Triple Threat eventually faded back to last, but she didn’t help matters early on and helped to ensure a quickened half-mile in 47.19. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports While several runners jockeyed for the early lead, jockey Leonel Reyes didn’t ask Willow Case to run a step out of the gate, settling back to last when the field completed the half-mile. She was quick to move when asked, however, advancing into third on the far turn and entering striking position on the top pair. Tessellate rode the rail into the stretch but was clearly flagging and yielded to Vita Mia. She faded back to third, seven lengths clear of the next finisher. As soon as Vita Mia shook off her front-running rival, however, Reyes and Willow Case were on her, drawing alongside with all the momentum from the back of the field. The stubborn leader dug in under Miguel Vasquez and finished 5 1/2 lengths clear for second, but she could not deny the surging closer. Willow Case completed the mile in 1:38.02. “For now, she will rest for six weeks and we will look for another race for her,” Minguet said. “Working with her in this way has worked for us.” Before the race, Minguet said that his filly would benefit from the pace scenario, make the fastest move in the stretch, and improve at a route distance. He said that she was much better than her 27-1 odds last time out and deserved more respect this time. It was a validating day for the local trainer. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.