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Byrama puts her stamp on Vanity

Last updated: 6/15/13 9:49 PM

Byrama will stay on synthetic tracks for a time following her Vanity score

(Benoit Photos)

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Byrama earned her first graded win in style on

Saturday when capturing the Grade 1, $250,250

Vanity

Handicap by 3 1/2 lengths over More Chocolate.

The British-bred daughter of Byron hadn't visited the winner's circle since

scoring in the Unzip Me Stakes last September, but got her photo taken after

finishing 1 1/8 miles on the Cushion Track in 1:51 2/5. In the process, the

Simon Callaghan-trained four-year-old continued the remarkable comeback of Hall

of Fame jockey Gary Stevens.

The experienced reinsman settled Byrama on the rail as Royal Tiger and

Esentepe gunned to the front when the gates opened on the Vanity. Royal Tiger

took the lead through fractions of :23 2/5 and :47, and not long after Esentepe

swiftly began backing up in the field. Byrama ranged up on the outside of Royal

Tiger exiting the backstretch, but found company as More Chocolate began her

move rounding the turn as well.

Byrama and More Chocolate left Royal Tiger behind down the lane, with the

former easily holding her more fancied rival to add a third stakes win to her

resume. The bay miss paid $14, $6.20 and $3 as the 6-1 fifth choice in the six-distaffer field.

"Just a great race for this filly," Stevens said. "Distance was the question. We

didn't have any cover going around the first turn and I was a little worried

about that, but then she settled in well into a real nice rhythm.

"Actually, I made her kick a little earlier than I would

have liked. Her run is only about an eighth of a mile and I had to use her

between the quarter-pole and the eighth-pole and she was able to float home the

last sixteenth of a mile.

"She put (More Chocolate) away and nobody else was really

running. She's a wonderful filly. She probably deserved to win the Madison at

Keeneland and we are probably going to get some more Grade 1 wins with her."

More Chocolate held second over 8-5 favorite Lady of Fifty, while Royal

Tiger, Open Water and Esentepe completed the order under the wire.

"I thought she was going to win on the turn, we got really

excited at the quarter-pole," said More Chocolate's trainer, John Sadler. "She might have hung just a little

bit. It was a good second for her first time on synthetic."

Byrama improved her record to read 5-4-6 from 19 career starts and has now

banked $484,751. The four-year-old filly, who also captured the Manhattan Beach

last year, boasts eight stakes placings, including a rallying neck second in the

Madison two back on the turf at Keeneland. In fact, Byrama was making just her

third non-turf start in the Vanity, having also run sixth last out in the Humana

Distaff on Churchill Downs' dirt and second in the C.E.R.F. Stakes over Del

Mar's Polytrack last September.

Callaghan said he will keep Byrama on

artificial tracks in the immediate future.

"She loves the synthetic, so we'll definitely keep her on

that," he said. "It's great to get a Grade 1 win with her because, respectfully,

she was the best filly that day at Keeneland and to get it done today is

fantastic."

Bred by Ermyn Lodge Stud Limited in Great Britain, Byrama was a $13,060 RNA

at the 2011 Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale. She is out of the winning Darshaan mare

Aymara, making her a half-sister to Group 3 scorer Klammer, and her second dam

is Group 3-placed listed winner Chipaya.

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