JSM Equine’s Haute Diva returned to the dirt with authority on Thursday, producing a powerful late surge to land the Cash Run at Gulfstream Park and announce herself as a rising force among the newly turned three-year-old fillies at the start of the Championship Meet.
The Patrick Biancone-trained filly, ridden with patience and confidence by David Egan, swept down the far outside and closed relentlessly through the stretch to secure the $175,000 feature, run over a one-turn mile on a fast main track. It marked a stirring turnaround after recent near-misses and underscored the value of perseverance with a developing young horse.
Contested as the opening leg of a trio of stakes on Gulfstream Park’s special 10-race New Year’s Day programme, the sixth running of the Cash Run brought together an intriguing mix of lightly raced fillies, several still searching for their preferred surface and rhythm.
Secane showed early intent, breaking sharply from the outside and setting honest fractions, while Jetty’s Home applied pressure from close range. Haute Diva, meanwhile, was unhurried in the early stages, allowed to find her stride and settle into a smooth rhythm under Egan.
That patience paid dividends approaching the far turn. Tracking the improving Nycon, Haute Diva began to lengthen her stride, angling into clear daylight before launching her challenge. Her run gathered momentum with every stride, and she edged past Nycon close home to prevail by a narrow margin, with Secane finishing just behind in third.
Dunmore Beach, Vita Mia and Jetty’s Home followed them home, completing the order of finish in a contest that rewarded timing and composure more than raw early speed.
For Biancone, the performance was a vindication of a carefully considered switch back to dirt after experimenting with turf over longer distances.
“She wants distance anyway, and after she ran well the other day we said, ‘Let’s go back to the dirt,’” the trainer explained. “David knows her well and rode her perfectly. She’s still a big baby, and she will improve a lot from this.”
Haute Diva had shown promise earlier in the season, including a strong maiden success over a mile, and came into the Cash Run off a narrow defeat at the same course and distance. Her trainer has long believed in her ability, even as she learned to channel her talent.
“She’s very talented, but she was difficult early on—at the track, to saddle, going to the start,” Biancone said. “She’s improved gradually by racing and learning.”
Egan echoed that sentiment, praising the filly’s temperament and willingness once allowed to settle into her comfort zone.
“She’s a filly you can’t rush,” he said. “I just let her find her feet, kept her happy, and she came to hand exactly when I needed her.”
With the Cash Run at Gulfstream Park now on her résumé, Haute Diva is set to remain on the dirt as connections look ahead to the next steps in Gulfstream’s three-year-old filly programme. The immediate target is the Forward Gal in late January, with longer-term ambitions pointing toward the Davona Dale and the Gulfstream Park Oaks as the spring unfolds.
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