Diplomat Lady wires Starlet
C. R. Cono’s DIPLOMAT
LADY (Forestry) held off all oncomers Sunday as the dark bay juvenile broke to
the early lead and was never collared en route to a score in the $456,000
Hollywood Starlet S. (G1). Getting out to the quick lead just off the rail
under jockey Tyler Baze, Diplomat Lady opened through splits of :23 1/5, :46
3/5, 1:10 4/5 and 1:36 4/5 before completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43 4/5 over a
fast track, holding off the gaining 3-2 favorite Balance (Thunder Gulch) by a
half-length.
The Christopher Paasch-trained filly left the gate at 39-1 and returned
payouts of $80, $20.60 and $8.80 while keying $1 exotics of $130.70 (exacta),
$666.80 (trifecta) and $2,742.40 for the 2-4-7-3 superfecta. Balance rated in
second for a majority of the trip and was not able to catch the winner in the
end, holding the place for $3.60 and $2.40. Sabatini (Five Star Day) rallied for
third and gave back $3.60 at 3-1.
Meetmeinthewoods (General Meeting) completed the superfecta while Karlee’s
Kitten (Pioneering), Incumbent (Carson City), Political Web (Petionville), Fall
in Love (In Excess [Ire]), Loosends (Broken Vow), True Xena (Yes It’s True) and
Private World (Thunder Gulch) completed the order of finish.
Bred in Kentucky by Mike Rutherford, Diplomat Lady is out of the multiple
stakes-winning mare Playcaller (Saratoga Six), who has also produced the
multiple stakes-placed Foxcaller (Beau Genius) and a yearling filly named Yellow
Flag (Our Emblem). She hails from the same female family as 2003 Bing Crosby
Breeders’ Cup H. (G2) and Count Fleet Sprint H. (G3) victor Beau’s Town (Beau
Genius).
With this win, Diplomat Lady improved her mark to 5-3-0-0 and boosted her
earnings to $334,800. She comes off a wire-to-wire score against allowance
company over this same surface. This was her first stakes win.