Bel Pensiero Holds on to Win Eleven North Handicap

Arm Racing LLC & Hudson Stables Bel Pensiero held on to win the $100,000 Eleven North Handicap, her second stakes of her career.

Bel Pensiero who will be sold as a racing/broodmare prospect at the Fasig-Tipton “Night of Stars” sale in November had to first collar the tough luck Howler and then hold off the fast-closing My Two Sophia’s for her sixth career win.

The winning time for the six-furlong Eleven North Handicap was 1:11.23. 

“She had been training really good coming into this,” said winning trainer Anthony Margotta, Jr. “We had the game plan to sit right off the pace, whoever was up there. We didn’t want the lead. (Jockey) Ramon Moya did an outstanding job having her forwardly place. She’s not a great dirt horse. She’s much better on the turf. But against this caliber of horses she can get the job done on the dirt as she just showed.”

The complexion of the race changed when expected pace setter Howler missed the break, then rushed up to take command coming out of the final turn before tiring late.

“The way we talked about the race with the inside speed horses is I was going to tuck in and save ground", said winning rider Ramon Moya. "She just popped out of there so sharply and I didn’t want to take her intention away. So even though we had a plan, every jockey knows you have to have a plan B. Plan B was keeping her comfortable. You have to get to that point where she is comfortable and she was comfortable doing it the way she did today, sitting just off the pace. I felt like I had the inside horse beat but then I had (My Two Sophia’s) flying on the outside. She just had enough to hold on.

The daughter of Army Mule out of Milaya, by Eskenderaya was bred in New Jersey by ARM Consulting. She raised her career earnings to $418,587.