LAUREL, MD. 03-10-12---Bold Affair quickly opened a clear advantage on her way to an easy victory over filly and mare rivals in the $75,000 Conniver Stakes, today’s feature at Laurel Park.

Owned by Charles Reed and Mike Zanella and trained by Howard Wolfendale, Bold Affair left the gate as the 6-5 favorite under jockey Abel Castellano.  At the finish, the daughter of Two Punch was 6-1/2 lengths ahead of Baltimore Belle, with Music Please a distant third.

“I was very impressed,” Castellano said. “I was waiting for the other horses to come especially around the turn. I was wondering ‘where is everybody’ but she kept going. When I got to the quarter pole I asked her to go and again there was nobody coming.”

“I didn’t think she would run that big,” added Wolfendale. “I was waiting for her to start backing up but she kept going. It is a pleasure to train a horse as talented as that. Good horses make good trainers.”

Wolfendale was concerned when his filly drew the rail for the Conniver but the daughter of Two Punch accelerated to the lead and increased her advantage at every call. Bold Affair covered the 7-furlong distance in 1:23.74 and paid $4.60.

“She didn’t break well, which has been a problem but since nobody sent she had enough speed to get out front and off the rail,” Wolfendale said.

“She is a great big filly with a big stride,” said Castellano. “I had a lot of confidence coming into the race and It was a very impressive performance.”

Bold Affair is now five for nine lifetime and has finished off the board just once with earnings of $257,880. Last year, she had a victory in the Jostle Stakes at Parx Racing and third places finishes in the Dearly Precious at Monmouth and Miss Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. She prepped for the Conniver with a good second in an optional claiming race at Laurel in January, behind multiple stakes winner Red’s Round Table.