Ball Dancing wins Belmont's Sands Point Stakes

NEW YORK (AP) Ball Dancing beat Xcellence by a half-length, giving trainer Chad Brown a 1-2 finish in the $500,000 Sands Point Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf Saturday at Belmont Park.

The two Brown trainees rallied in tandem in the deep stretch, with Ball Dancing edging clear in the final strides in her U.S. debut. She had won two of five starts this year in France.

Joe Bravo was the rider as Ball Dancing ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.18 on the rain-softened course labeled firm.

Ball Dancing paid $12.60, $6.80 and $3.90 as the stablemates ran as separate betting interests. Xcellence returned $5 and $2.90. The pacesetting Sea Queen, the 5-2 favorite, paid $2.90 as she held on for third.