Ciao Bella wires Rampart

Michael B. Tabor's Ciao Bella was much the best as she wired the six-horse

field in the Grade 3, $150,000

Rampart

Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday for her first stakes victory. 

The Todd Pletcher pupil broke from the inside post and dictated the pace by

setting fractions of :24 3/5, :49 1/5 and 1:13. Ciao Bella was under a hand ride

at the top of the stretch and drew away when asked by jockey John Velazquez for

a 4 1/2-length win.

"We knew there wasn't a lot of speed in there except for Successful Song,"

Velazquez said. "It seemed like she (Successful Song) didn't want to be on the

lead, so it was pretty easy."

The four-year-old filly stopped the clock in 1:50 for the 1 1/8-mile contest

over the fast main track.

Authenticity tried to catch her stablemate in the stretch but was no match

and was clearly second best. Ciao Bella was pressured by Successful

Song on the outside through the three-quarter pole but she began to tire and crossed the wire

in third. Go Unbridled, Call the Ten and One Last Dance rounded out the order of

finish.

The 2-5 favorite paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10 to her backers and boosted her

bankroll to $236,960 from a 9-4-2-1 line.

Ciao Bella broke her maiden over this track in December 2011 and did not

return to the races until July of last year while winning an allowance at

Monmouth Park. She stepped up to stakes company a month later, finishing fourth

in the Summer Guest Stakes at Saratoga. The gray's next four starts were on the

turf, which included a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Garden City at Belmont

and a runner-up in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante Handicap at Calder.