NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Barry Schwartz’s home-bred, three-year-old filly Princess Violet gave her eight rivals a head start and still blew them away, taking the inaugural running of the mile-and-a-sixteenth $250,000 Empire Distaff Handicap by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:43.81 to give jockey Jose Ortiz his third consecutive victory on Saturday’s card.
“It was sweet,” Princess Violet’s trainer, Mike Hushion, said. “She relaxed better than ever and when Jose stepped on the gas, she came on.”
Bettors who made Princess Violet the 6-5 favorite may have been concerned when she turned her head as the starting gate opened, but Ortiz didn’t bat an eye when she broke next-to-last. She worked her way up to fourth behind 74-1 Pennymine, 6-1 Sunny Desert and Carameaway, half of a 2-1 entry.
Pennymine took the field to a quarter in :23.19 and a half-mile in :46.51 before both Sunny Desert and Carameaway both roared past her, two and three-wide, respectively. Behind them, Princess Violet quickly drew closer.
Racing three-wide around the far turn, Princess Violet went by the two fillies in front of her easily, assuming complete command after three-quarters in 1:11.48. She hit the mile in 1:37.08 on the way to her impressive victory. “When I made my move, I had a lot of horse,” Ortiz said.
Princess Violet, a daughter of Officer out of Lady Rapper by Grand Slam, is now four-for-seven in her career with two seconds – including a distant one to Untapable in the Grade I Mother Goose – and earnings of more than $330,000.
