Coming Back to Win
Genuine Devotion went on my watch list after her last race, a six-furlong N1X over the Belmont turf on September 15, in which she’d wired the field in 1:07.97. Pretty good, but what impressed were the fractions: She ran the first quarter in :22.63, the second in :23.01, the penultimate eighth in :11.71, and the final eighth in a quick :10.6. She returned in Sunday’s Xtra Heat Handicap, which looked like a tough spot for her first stakes try, with graded stakes-tested Society Hostess, Stormy Kiss, and G City Gal entered, but they proved no problem for the three-year-old filly, who took an early lead, set the pace, then drew away to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Final time was 1:08.65, with fractions of :22.44, :22.66, :11.34, and :12.18. Not bad; her Beyer speed figure comes back as 100. Genuine Devotion is now 3-for-6, 2-for-3 on grass. Favored Society Hostess, who had won five of seven starts for trainer Christophe Clement and was coming off a nine-month layoff during which she had ankle surgery, finished fourth.
1 Comment