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Trainer Mark Casse shipped both Top Notch Lady and Seaside Retreat for the Gr. III Bourbonette and Gr. II Lane's End from south Florida to Florence, Kentucky well in advance to get that duo acquainted with the Polytrack surface, and that sort of preparation paid off in the end, as Seaside Retreat finished a game second in the Lane's End at 11-1 after Top Notch Lady put in a strong stretch rally to win the $150,000 Bourbonette for 3-year-old fillies Saturday afternoon at Turfway Park.

Ridden by Robby Albarado, Top Notch Lady rated in mid-pack in the early going, as Morethanawhisper shot to the front and took the field down the backstretch through an unseasonable March snow shower. Second choice Coronado's Vision and jockey Edgar Prado grabbed the lead from that longshot pacesetter after a solid half-mile in 47.14, and Coronado's Vision was moving prominently and looked like the filly to beat on the far turn, as 6-5 favorite Sabatini was under a hard drive and not giving a generous response.

Top Notch Lady had made a nice four-wide run on the turn and moved into striking position along with a rallying Lemons Forever straightening for home, as a handful of fillies were in the mix with a clear Coronado's Vision to catch. It appeared Coronado's Vision and Prado would hold on at the sixteenth pole, but Top Notch Lady was able to produce a final surge to nail Coronado's Vision on the wire, stopping the clock a neck in front of that rival in 1:39.26 for one mile.

"She got over the track great," said Albarado in the winner's circle. "When I asked her, she really responded. She is a really nice filly."

Casse breezed Top Notch Lady over the Polytrack surface last Sunday after shipping in from Florida, which benefited the daughter of Sultry Song greatly in getting familiarized with the foreign surface in her seasonal debut.

"I had spoken to (Turfway trainer) Bernie Flint prior to coming here and he had told me it would be wise to come in a little early and get a breeze over the racetrack, so that's what we did," added Casse, the Canadian-based trainer who had Top Notch Lady wintering at Ocala Training Center prior to shipping in for the Bourbonette. "I told Mr. Wilson (the owner) that she likes the Polytrack and if she gets beat it's not because she's short."

Coronado's Vision was valiant in defeat, finishing another three parts-of-a-length in front of Lemons Forever, who rallied late for third. Sabatini never had any punch in the stretch and finished a disappointing fourth.

Top Notch Lady ($16.80) captured her third straight victory and raised her earnings to more than $312,000 for owner Robert Wilson.

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