Havre de Grace left four rivals in the slop at Belmont Park, breezing to an 81/4-length victory in the Beldame and stating her case as the leading contender for Horse of the Year.
The 4-year-old filly moved into the lead off the far turn Saturday, and jockey Ramon Dominguez had little work to do to guide her home. Royal Delta was a distant second.
Havre de Grace was coming off a win over the boys in the Woodward in August. She has won five of six starts this year. Trainer Larry Jones says it's on to the Breeders' Cup Classic, where Havre de Grace will likely face Uncle Mo, who won the Kelso a race earlier. Havre de Grace was the 3-5 favorite and covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.39.
In earlier races, 12-1 long shot Giant Ryan won the six-furlong Vosburgh, 1-2 favorite Stacelita captured the Flower Bowl and 3-5 favorite Cape Blanco took the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.
