Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Sense of Style toyed with six other two-year-old fillies Friday afternoon, then dismissed them with a sudden flourish in the stretch to win Saratoga's 113th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Spinaway at seven furlongs.
It was the second start for this filly, who broke her maiden here on August 1st at six and a half furlongs. A daughter of Thunder Gulch, who in 1995 was the last Kentucky Derby winner to win the Travers, Sense of Style sat on the outside of Portsea and Miss Matched as the fractions went in :22 3/5; :45 3/5 and 1:10 3/5.


But as if bored with the whole drama, jockey Edgar Prado asked Sense of Style for more and she had plenty to spare, drawing off for a 6 ¾-length victory in 1:23 4/5.

"She's a really good filly," said trainer Patrick Biancone. "Seven furlongs, I would say, is going to be the minimum she wants. She's very mature. She's strong and relaxed and has all the qualities. I think she has a great future. Before she wanted to stay next to the horse she's with, and today, she took off. She wouldn't have done that a few weeks ago."

According to Biancone, thought had been given to running Sense of Style against colts in Saturday's Grade 1 Hopeful, but it was a fleeting thought at best. "Going in the Hopeful was a thought, but this is a more sensible race because it is easier than the Hopeful," Biancone said. "We are going to go slowly, because she could be an [Kentucky] Oaks filly. The way she is bred, distance will never be a problem. If she keeps going that way she's been going, we may go for the Breeders' Cup [October 30th, Lone Star Park].

We'll look at the Matron [Grade 1, $300,000, one mile, two-year-old fillies, Sunday, September 19th, Belmont Park], too."

The favorite of the crowd of 23,730, Sense of Style returned $3.90 to win. Miss Matched held second, with Play With Fire, Broadway Gold, Punch Appeal, Portsea and Classic Elegance completing the order of finish.

"We got in a tangle leaving there," trainer John Ward said of runner-up Miss Matched. "She was a little anxious in the gate. We're as happy as we could be. It plays right into what we want to do, which is to go around two turns. She'll rate, she'll do anything you want her to do. She'll be pretty hickory in her next effort. She'll probably run in the Alcibades [Grade 2, $400,000 mile and a sixteenth, October 8th] next around two turns."