When she can cruise on an uncontested lead, Rosalie DiRico's homebred DANCE GAL DANCE is tough to catch at six furlongs, which she demonstrated decisively in Belmont's Wandering Cloud Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares on Thursday, July 2, winning by 4-1/4 lengths. The late-foaled four-year-old daughter of Disco Rico was odds-on (.90-to-1) as the youngest among five starters in the Wandering Cloud, for which she had jockey Rajiv Maragh on board for the fifth consecutive time in competition -- all stakes. Breaking on top from the inside post, the chestnut filly set a reasonably fast opening quarter-mile and was never threatened after getting away with a relatively easy second quarter.

Dance Gal Dance has now broken on top in four of her seven career outings, but her break in the $66,150 Wandering Cloud might have been her quickest ever. Fifth choice Just Zip It (14.80-to-1) was the only rival to challenge early but did not advance closer than a half-length off the front-runner, who ran a 22.60 first quarter and maintained her margin despite a second quarter that decelerated to 23.33 around Belmont's big turn. When neither Just Zip It nor 1.85-to-1 second choice Northern Netti -- who had beaten Dance Gal Dance in Belmont's seven-furlong Bouwerie for state-bred three-year-old fillies 14 months earlier -- would switch to their right leads in the stretch, they both faded, allowing the favorite an easy victory. Fourth choice Beam of Love (12.70-to-1), who had saved ground on the turn, closed along the rail to nail the runner-up spot and secured her third stakes-placing but her first black-type credential since her juvenile season in 2007. ...more