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Lady Emily Explodes in First Tapeta Trip

    All it took for Don Dizney’s Lady Emily to break a five-race losing streak was her initial try over Gulfstream Park’s first-season Tapeta surface. 

    The 4-year-old daughter of First Dude had broken her maiden by 5 1/2 lengths more than a year ago, and hadn’t been better than fourth in her next five outings. But her explosive mile and 70-yard all-weather debut under Junior Alvarado yesterday may change the course of her career. 

    Off 10th and last leaving the gate, Lady Emily dropped 10 lengths behind around the first turn, and was so far back when the leaders reached the half that she was out of the video picture. Midway on the final turn, Alvarado swung her eight wide and Lady Emily devoured the pack, making up five lengths from the sixteenth pole to the wire, and winning by nearly two lengths with something to spare, clocked in 1:42.56. 

    The victory was worth $16,000 and a breeder’s award for Double Diamond, and raised Lady Emily’s total to $51,830. She became First Dude’s 28th winner of 2022, lifting him to within a stone’s throw of $1 million at $988,892.