Fillies She Feels Pretty, Nitrogen, Velocity star in weekend racing

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1 of 3 | She Feels Pretty wins Saturday's Grade I E.P. Taylor at Woodbine, earning a Breeders' Cup bid. Photo by Michael Burns, courtesy of Woodbine
Aug. 18 (UPI) -- It was fillies on parade in weekend horse racing as She Feels Pretty held off the Godolphin invasion in Canada, Nitrogen raised a hoof for division honors with an impressive win at Saratoga and Velocity upset the Del Mar Oaks.
Mansetti won a competitive edition of the King's Plate at Woodbine and there was 2-year-old action hither and yon, on dirt and turf.
In France, Sunday's Group 1 The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois was everything promised and more.
Here's more ...
Distaff
Nitrogen seized the lead turning for home in Saturday's $600,000 Grade I Alabama for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga and, despite wandering around in the final furlong, held off the favorite, Good Cheer, to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Margie's Intention was fourth.
La Cara, who led all the way to win the Grade I Acorn in her last start with Good Cheer fifth, set a very slow pace in the Alabama and held the lead to the turn, but faded to finish fourth. Queen Azteca, from Norway via Dubai to Saratoga, was not in the mix and finished fifth.
Nitrogen, by Medaglia d'Oro, now is a Grade I winner on dirt and has multiple graded stakes placings on turf. Overall, she has won six of 10 starts and never been worse than third.
Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer, also by Medaglia d'Oro, suffered her second straight defeat after starting her career with a seven-race win skein, but trainer Brad Cox said her effort into an unfavorable pace scenario showed she's still a credible force in the division.
Filly & Mare Turf
She Feels Pretty defended local honor against the invading Godolphin forces and scored a "Win and You're In" berth in the Breeders' Cup World Championships in Saturday's $750,000 Grade I E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine.
The 4-year-old Karakontie filly, with John Velazquez aboard for trainer Cherie DeVaux, came five-wide to take the lead in the stretch in the 1 1/4-mile contest.
Diamond Rain, making her first top-level start with William Buick riding for Charlie Appleby, followed in her wake and was moving well at the end, but came up a head short.
Velazquez said She Feels Pretty was soundly bumped and suffered cuts during the backstretch run and "from then on, it was a wrestling match with her ... but she got it done."
She Feels Pretty, racing for Lael Stables, racked up her eighth victory in 12 starts and has never been worse than third. Five of the eight wins came in Grade I races.
Breeders' Cup? "Most definitely," DeVaux said.
Out west at Del Mar, Velocity rallied into contention with about a furlong to run in Saturday's $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Oaks, and then took the rail route through the stretch and outfinished Lush Lips, winning by 1/2 length over her.
The favorite, Thought Process, was third and British invader Take a Breath finished fourth.
Velocity, dispatched at odds of 35-1, ran 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:48.45. Ricardo Gonzalez rode for trainer Michael McCarthy.
Velocity, a Nyquist filly, finished fourth in the Grade III Senorita Stakes in April, and then got a three-month break before winning an allowance event July 20 in preparation for the Oaks.
Alpha Bella had 'em all the way in Friday's $100,000 CTT & TOC Stakes at Del Mar and edged clear late to a 2 3/4-length victory. The 4-year-old Justify mare, a Don Alberto homebred, ran 1 3/8 miles on firm turf in 2:17.32. Hector Berrios rode for trainer John Sadler.
Classic
Saturday's $1 million (Canadian) King's Plate for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds always looked to be a wide-open affair and that's how it played out.
Mansetti at odds of 18-1 wrestled away the early lead from a rival and just kept running, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over Tom's Magic, who rallied from near the back of the 13-horse field.
It was another 2 lengths to the favorite, Notorious Gangster, in third and the Woodbine Oaks winner, No Time, finished ninth. Mansetti, a Collected colt trained by Kevin Attard, got his fourth win from seven starts.
Surface to Air surfaced from a pace-stalking trip approaching the quarter pole in Saturday's $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park, took the lead and held off a mild bid by odds-on favorite First Mission to win by 3/4 length.
Sprint
Simcoe was loose on the lead in Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III Bold Venture Stakes at Woodbine and easily held on to the big advantage to score by 5 3/4 lengths over Victory Achieved.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Vincey Girl blasted by the favorite, Haulin Ice, in the final sixteenth of Saturday's $75,000 Sheer Drama Stakes at Gulfstream Park and went on to score a 3 3/4-length beat on that rival. Nerazurri was third.
Turf
Emmanuel, the odds-on favorite, rallied inside rivals at the top of the stretch in Friday's $150,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup at Penn National and slipped away to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
Turf Mile
Gas Me Up and Wyoming Bill rallied together with a rush to finish 1-2 in Saturday's $200,000 (Canadian) Grade II bet365 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine.
Turf Sprint
Future Is Now surged to the front near the three-sixteenths marker in Friday's $150,000 Smart And Fancy Stakes for fillies and mares at Saratoga and worked clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite.
Juvenile Turf Sprint
Lots of action here leading up to one of the highlights of "Future Stars" Day at the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Along the way:
Bobrovsky won Saturday's $150,000 Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga while Snow Face Princess took Sunday's companion $150,000 Bolton Landing for fillies.
Two Out Hero won Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) bet 364 Soaring Free Stakes at Woodbine and Corsia Veloce scored in the companion Catch a Glimpse stakes for fillies.
Juvenile / Juvenile Fillies
Smarty Hardy won Saturday's $100,000 Prairie Meadows Freshman Stakes in Iowa by 3 lengths afer Ritzaphena scored in Friday's $100,000 Prairie Meadows Debutante. Dazzling Dame drew off late to win Sunday's $100,000 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park by 2 lengths.
Around the world, around the clock:
France
Diego Velazquez, carrying the famous Sangster family colors, seized the lead late in the 1,600 meters of Sunday's Group 1 The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois and just did hold off Godolphin's Notable Speech.
It was a convergence of European racing royalty of many kinds -- Sam Sangster, son of legendary owner Robert Sangster, received the trophy from Princess Zahra Aga Khan, daughter of the sponsor's namesake.
Alongside was trainer Aidan O'Brien, who kept the 4-year-old Frankel colt after he was sold by Coolmore.
The victory was a significant upset, with Dancing Gemini and Docklands third and fourth, crack Japanese miler Ascoli Piceno sixth as the favorite and Coolmore's own The Lion in Winter last after racing prominently.
Diego Velazquez and Notable Speech are likely to meet again in the Breeders' Cup Mile.
Ireland
Speaking of the Aga Khan, the late racing titan's own colors reported first and second in Saturday's Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh -- an early audition for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe -- with Coolmore's top Arc hope, Los Angeles, finishing fourth.
Zahrann, with Ben Coen up, got home first by 2 lengths over his 300-1 chance stablemate Tangapour. Galen was third, with Los Angeles 3 lengths back of the winner.