Dixie Belle Stakes

Comparisons rain down on Starlet

Raintree Starlet, ridden by Alex Canchari, won the $100,000 Dixie Belle Stakes on Saturday, covering 6 furlongs in 1:10.82. Raintree Starlet defeated Lady T N T by 1 length.
Raintree Starlet, ridden by Alex Canchari, won the $100,000 Dixie Belle Stakes on Saturday, covering 6 furlongs in 1:10.82. Raintree Starlet defeated Lady T N T by 1 length.

HOT SPRINGS -- Comparisons to Streamline were inevitable.

Trainer Brian Williamson was interviewed track side by Oaklawn Park paddock analyst Nancy Holthus after Raintree Starlet, trained by Williamson, was ridden by Alex Canchari to a 1-length win in the $100,000 6-furlong Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn on Saturday.

Williamson also trained multiple-stakes winner Streamline at Oaklawn, a streak started in 2016 and completed last season. In 12 Oaklawn starts, Streamline won three, finished second twice, and was third five times.

Holthus first asked Williamson whether Raintree Starlet was the next Streamline.

"Oh boy," Williamson said. "I hope so."

Raintree Starlet, by Get Stormy, won the Dixie Belle -- her stakes debut -- in 1:10.82 before a crowd estimated at 17,500. Lady T N T was second, a neck in front of 2-1 favorite Unholy Alliance in third. Adventurous Lady was fourth, 5 lengths behind the winner.

Although Raintree Starlet's latest win was her third consecutive and ran her career record to 4-3-0-1, Williamson is unsure when she might attempt longer races. He also said she might prefer turf to the dirt surface at Oaklawn.

"The turf could be in her future, and stretching out will be in her future, too, but I'm not sure about that now," Williamson said. "Why change things right now?"

Williamson said Raintree Starlet has demonstrated a psychological profile similar to Streamline's thus far.

"She's real laid back in the barn," Williamson said. "Nothing bothers her too much. She doesn't get too bothered by stuff. She has just a great disposition."

Raintree Starlet, off at 6-1, charged to the lead out of the gate but was passed by Lady T N T -- a daughter of Justin Phillip trained by Joe Sharp -- and trailed by a length through the first quarter-mile in 22.45, and 1¼ lengths after a half in 46.03.

Canchari said he was pleased by Raintree Starlet's position.

"I was confident in the filly from the last race she ran," he said. "I out-broke the field, but then I let that other horse go, and I had a perfect stalking trip in second. It just went perfect."

"He rode her perfect," Williamson said.

Canchari also rode Raintree Starlet in her optional-claiming 5½-furlong win at Oaklawn on Jan. 25.

In the Dixie Belle, Raintree Starlet took the lead into the stretch and led by 1 length through 5/8 of a mile in 58.02.

Lady T N T's rider David Cabrera said his filly's effort impressed him, but he said the winner was too much to overcome.

"The other horse got to me with a lot of momentum," Cabrera said. "My filly never stopped running, but the winner stayed at the same speed."

Raintree Starlet is owned by Nancy Vanier and a group of racing enthusiasts named the Horseplayers Racing Club, who purchased smaller shares of the horse that totaled 20 percent.

Club members and husband and wife Scott and Mary Spitz drove from their home in Woodridge, Ill., a Chicago suburb, to cheer on their 3 percent interest in Raintree Starlet. Longtime racing fans who were married at Arlington International Racecourse near Chicago, the couple might have been the most thrilled of Raintree Starlet's connections.

"We are just so excited," Scott Spitz said. "We just won a stakes race. It's unbelievable. It hasn't sunk in yet."

"We love horse racing, but I don't think anything compares to this," Mary Spitz said. "She just keeps showing up and moving up."

Mary Spitz said she and her husband plan to bring their three daughters for Raintree Starlet's next race.

Williamson said the couple's joy aided his satisfaction.

"It's great to see people get excited about the races," he said. "It's kind of contagious when you see that spirit."

Sports on 02/17/2019

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