Ronchalon Stable’s BELLE ALLURE (Ire) (Numerous) found herself running behind
a wall of horses, finally managed to slip through between rivals in upper
stretch and just got up to put her head in front on the wire of Wednesday’s
$106,500
Athenia S. (G3) at Belmont Park. With Ramon Dominguez in the saddle, the
heavily-favored Christophe Clement trainee finished up 1 1/16 miles on the good
inner turf in 1:43 1/5 to pay $2.90, $2.20 and $2.10. The exotics totaled $10.80
(exacta) and $28.60 (4-7-6 trifecta).
Miss Lombardi (Unbridled Jet) was quickest from the gate when the doors
opened, taking the lead and setting splits of :24 1/5, :48 1/5 and 1:12 2/5
while tracked by Sunshine for Life (Giant’s Causeway) and Kristi With a K
(Petionville) to her outside. The pacesetter gave way in the stretch run, and
Kristi With a K was quick to take command, posting a mile in 1:36 4/5. All the
while, Belle Allure was boxed in along the rail and only found running room in
late stretch. Digging in, the 2-5 pick ran down Kristi With a K to earn her
first stakes win stateside.
“It turned out to be kind of a paceless race,” Dominguez said. “We were
bunched up the whole race. I was panicking a little bit when we turned for home
because there was really no racing room. Eventually, I was able to get my filly
out, and she responded pretty well. She was at that point spotting a couple
lengths to Kristi with a K, but she was able to get up.”
Kristi With a K was the 5-1 second choice in the field of six and gave back
$3.50 and $2.10 for her tough defeat. Cable (Dynaformer), who raced in last
early, came four wide on the turn and was another three parts of a length back
in third for Clement. The 7-1 third pick returned $3.10 for show, while 1 3/4
lengths farther back came Sunshine for Life. Namaste’s Wish (Pulpit) and Miss
Lombardi completed the order under the wire after Rollicking Affair (Black Tie
Affair [Ire]), Don’t Forget Gil (Kafwain) and Tidal Dance (Pleasant Tap) were
withdrawn.
“Both fillies ran well. Belle Allure had only had three starts — four starts
with today — this year,” Clement said. “She’s just been unlucky. It’s been a
little bit difficult to find her kind of races this year, but she’s trained
well, and I was pretty confident she’d run a good race today. She’s a nice filly
and I’m delighted for the owner who had the patience to keep her in training for
another year. She’s won now, so maybe let’s go for a better race somewhere. The
(November 28) Matriarch ([G1] at Hollywood Park )would be one choice or the
(November 21) Cardinal ([G3] at Churchill Downs).”
Belle Allure has now racked up $216,591 in lifetime earnings to go along with
a 14-4-1-1 career mark. Queen of last year’s Prix Vanteaux (Fr-G3), she ran a
nice fourth in her French finale, the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (Fr-G2), but could
do no better than seventh in her U.S. debut, the Dahlia H. (G2), in late
December. The chestnut lass returned as a four-year-old in Clement’s shedrow and
immediately recorded her first stateside victory against allowance/optional
claiming rivals at Belmont on May 21. In her two starts prior to this one, Belle
Allure was third in the Donor S. and second in the Voodoo Dancer S.
Bred in Ireland by Paul Nataf, Belle Allure is out of Mare Aux Fees
(Kenmare), who has since produced a juvenile colt named Le Larron (High
Chaparral [Ire]). Her most noted offspring, though, is Jukebox Jury (Ire)
(Montjeu [Ire]), who so far this year has captured the Prix Von Europa (Ger-G1),
Grand Prix de Deauville (Fr-G2) and Rose of Lancaster (Eng-G3) as well as run
second by a half-length in last Saturday’s Canadian International (Can-G1).
Belle Allure also counts among her half-siblings listed victors Pierrot Solaire
(Dancing Spree) and The Mask (Fr) (Saint Estephe).
The Athenia winner’s third dam is Skelda (La Varende), who was named France’s
champion two-year-old filly in 1970 and would go on to produce Group 1-winning
sire Soleil Noir (Exbury) and Group 2-placed listed scorer Jeune Loup (Mill
Reef). Skelda’s half-brother is Group 1 winner Lightning (Kashmir II).