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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- Hilda's Passion used her inside post and high speed to dominate Sunday's $150,000 Hurricane Bertie at Gulfstream Park, leading throughout en route to a 2 1/2- length victory over Ms Vanenzza in the Grade 3 stakes for fillies and mares. In last month's six-furlong Sugar Swirl, Hilda's Passion rated off the pace when she broke from the extreme outside and fell a neck short of Tar Heel Mom after a wide trip. But jockey Javier Castellano was intent on making the lead with Hilda's Passion in Sunday's rematch, quickly sending the speedy filly right to the front from the rail. Hilda's Passion set fractions of 22.08 and 44.62 seconds, readily shook off Tar Heel Mom entering the stretch, opened a commanding advantage nearing the eighth pole, and just cruised home under steady urging to the wire. Ms Vanenzza rallied mildly down the middle of the track to easily be second best, finishing six lengths in front of North Rodeo. Tar Heel Mom faded to fourth followed by In Perpetuity and My Jen. Hilda's Passion, a daughter of Canadian Frontier owned by Jack Wolf's Starlight Partners and Clint Glasscock, completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.79 and paid $4.80. "Breaking from the outside last time we tried a little different strategy and it kind of backfired," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "We knew she needed to break clean today from the rail but she's blessed with high speed and from the one hole we had no option but to go and she just ran them off their feet." Pletcher said Hilda's Passion would likely return in the seven-furlong, Grade 2 Inside Information on March 19. "We decided to give her a break after she won the stakes at Keeneland and point for the three-race series here," said Pletcher. "So if everything goes all right, we'll bring her back in the last one."
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