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HURRICANE BERTIE S. | PURSE: $150,000 | GRADE 3 | 4-YEAR-OLDS & UP | 6 1/2 FURLONGS

R Holiday Mood dueled with Funny Sunny throughout Sunday's Grade 3, $150,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and just got the best of that rival when keeping her neck in front on the wire of the 6 1/2-furlong affair under jockey John Velazquez.

"She's just a little battler," Velazquez said. "She gives you everything she has every step of the way. I'm very proud of her."

R Holiday Mood sped to the front when the gates opened, but quickly found company in the form of Funny Sunny. The duo battled it out down the backstretch, with R Holiday Mood setting splits of :22 3/5 and :45. Funny Sunny drew even with the daughter of Trippi rounding the turn, and the two continued skirmishing all the way to the wire, with R Holiday Mood just getting her neck in front to stop the clock in 1:15 4/5 on the fast dirt.

"I really didn't expect her to be on the lead today," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "I thought the one [Pica Slew] would go to the front and we'd follow her.

"I felt reasonably confident that she would run well today coming off the mile race. That was a demanding race and the mile is about her limit, but she's a big strong filly and came out of it well."

The fourth betting choice at 5-1, R Holiday Mood paid $12.40, $6.20 and $3.40. Funny Sunny had 2 1/2 lengths to spare on third-placer and 4-5 favorite Her Smile. Belle of the Hall, Pica Slew, Strike the Moon and Ms Vanenzza followed the top three under the wire.

R Holiday Mood has finished off-the-board only twice in her career, now boastings an 8-5-0-1 mark to go along with $217,800 in lifetime earnings. Following a maiden win last February at Aqueduct, the bay lass made her stakes debut a winning one when taking the Out Ruled Stakes by a neck. She was fourth in the Grade 3 Comely Stakes, but returned to the winner's circle next out in the Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in late May.

The four-year-old miss was given the rest of the year off after a well-beaten last of six in the Jostle Stakes in mid-June at Parx Racing, but came back victorious, albeit a dead-heat winner, in the Ocala Stakes on January 8.

After notching her first graded victory in this spot, R Holiday Mood is expected to return in the Grade 2, $150,000 Inside Information on March 17.

"I'd say if she comes out of this OK we'll look at the next one, the Inside Information," Pletcher said. "The seven-eighths is just right for her."

An E. Paul Robsham Stables Florida homebred, R Holiday Mood is out of the Grade 3-winning Danzig mare Polish Holiday. Her second dam is Kapalua Butterfly, a Grade 3-scoring daughter of Stage Door Johnny, while her third dam is the Native Dancer mare Aces Swinging. That one is probably best known for being a full sister to record-setting champion and top sire Raise a Native.

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