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​Battle Bling, Maiden Beauty square off in $100K Top Flight Invitational

by Mary Eddy

Michael Dubb’s Battle Bling and John Grossi’s Racing Corp.’s Maiden Beauty, who finished a respective second and third last out in the Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 6, are set to meet once more in Sunday’s $100,000 Top Flight Invitational for older fillies and mares travelling nine furlongs over the main track at Aqueduct Racetrack.  

Trained by Rob Atras, Battle Bling has proven to be an adept acquisition by Dubb, who claimed her for $62,500 out of a game second-place effort on December 19 for former conditioner Danny Gargan. The daughter of Vancouver was a determined winner in her first start for new connections, taking the nine-furlong Ladies at the Big A on January 16 by a neck over Miss Leslie after trailing by 4 1/2 lengths at the half-mile marker. 

“The day we claimed her, she ran a really big race. We had her nominated to the Ladies and weren’t exactly sure if we were going to go into stakes company,” said Atras. “We looked at the nominations and it looked like she fit in there, so we wanted to take a shot.” 

The 4-year-old filly cut back to a one-turn mile in her latest outing, displaying similar come-from-behind tactics under regular rider Trevor McCarthy in the Heavenly Prize. Battle Bling was full of run down the lane after swinging three-wide in the turn, grinding away to the outside of multiple stakes winner Bank Sting, who led every step of the way and would not be denied the victory. Battle Bling was beaten a neck and held onto place honors 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Maiden Beauty. She was awarded a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure in defeat. 

“We were really happy with her against a real tough filly in Bank Sting,” Atras said. “She’s definitely exciting and tries hard every time. She’s run two good races and that’s really all you can ask for. She’s a good work horse and it’s nice when they do that in the mornings and then show up in the afternoons.” 

The dark bay has been a consistent competitor throughout her three seasons of racing, earning three victories and six other on-the-board finishes from 14 lifetime starts. She broke her maiden at third asking at Indiana Grand Race Course and has shown versatility since, hitting the board in races over sloppy and sealed, good and sealed and all-weather surfaces. 

“I liked the way she ran the mile and an eighth two starts back and two turns is no problem either,” Atras said. 

A $110,000 yearling at the 2020 Keeneland September sale, Battle Bling was bred in Kentucky by Royal Oak Farm and E. Kiely. 

McCarthy has the call again from post 5. 

The Robert Falcone, Jr.-trained Maiden Beauty has been a model of consistency since being claimed for $45,000 out of a runner-up effort sprinting seven furlongs at Belmont Park in June. 

The 6-year-old Revolutionary mare showed her talent early on, debuting and breaking her maiden in the Lynbrook at Belmont in July 2018. She has won or finished in-the-money in 5-of-6 starts since being claimed by John Grossi’s Racing Corp., including a stakes triumph in the nine-furlong Bay Ridge against fellow state-breds at the Big A in December over sloppy and sealed going. 

Her win in the Bay Ridge came on just 11 day’s rest after she was a determined winner by a neck over Battle Bling in a one-mile optional claimer on December 19. Maiden Beauty was an easy winner despite the short rest, earning her second stakes victory by 3 3/4 lengths over returning rival Ice Princess. 

“She’s been ready to run and we tried entering her in another stake and it didn’t go, but I don’t mind the extra time between races,” Falcone, Jr. said. “The only time I ran her back quick was in the Bay Ridge. But we gave her plenty of time after that and she’s a very determined horse.” 

Maiden Beauty’s most recent work was a half-mile breeze in 49.27 seconds over the Belmont dirt training track on April 3. 

“In the mornings when she’s galloping and someone goes by her, she gets a little stronger,” Falcone, Jr. said. “I have to be careful who I breeze her with because I don’t want her to go too fast – she doesn’t want the other horse to get in front of her. She likes what she does a lot.” 

Falcone, Jr. said that he welcomes another match up with Battle Bling. 

 “I think it’s cool. I always like when the same horses run against each other and you look back in the form and see horses that have beaten each other before,” Falcone, Jr. said. “It makes it fun and you don’t see it as much anymore. They both try every time.”

Maiden Beauty will emerge from post 2 with regular pilot Kendrick Carmouche up.

Flying P Stable, R.A. Hill Stable and trainer Danny Gargan’s New York-bred Ice Princess is looking to regain winning form after a quartet of on-the-board efforts dating back to a runner-up finish in the John Hettinger at Belmont in October. 

A daughter of Palace Malice, Ice Princess was a debut winner at Belmont in September 2019 and took the Maddie May against state-breds two starts later in her second start at stakes level. She picked up a graded placing when second in the 2020 Grade 3 Comely at the Big A. 

The 5-year-old mare hit the board in 7-of-8 starts as a 4-year-old, capping off the year with three second-place finishes in stakes races, including the John Hettinger, the Empire Distaff Handicap and the Bay Ridge, which was won by Maiden Beauty. 

Dylan Davis has the call from the outermost post 6. 

Completing the field are four-time winner Exotic West [post 1, Javier Castellano] for trainer Gary Sciacca, Frost Point [post 3, Manny Franco], who makes her stakes debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, and Grade 3 Royal Delta runner-up Into Vanishing [post 4, Eric Cancel] for trainer Jonathan Thomas. 

The Top Flight Invitational is slated as Race 8 on Sunday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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