Center Aisle turned in a very game effort in Saturday’s $100,000 Sugar Swirl S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park, battling the length of the stretch with Frank’s Rockette to win by a length for the 4-year-old's first black type win.

Center Aisle, who placed in last year’s Prioress S. (G2) and Victory Ride S. (G3), sold for $450,000 to Sluggo/Paymaster Racing as part of the Eddie Woods consignment at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling sale after being purchased as a Keeneland weanling for $165,000.

Center Aisle came into the Sugar Swirl off two sharp allowance tallies. She came away well and was in a four-way battle for the early lead as the field flew through a quarter-mile in :21.72. Center Aisle, three-wide on the turn, emerged with a narrow lead over Frank’s Rockette to set up the dramatic stretch duel.

The duo was nearly inseparable until the final sixteenth, when Center Aisle edged clear to stop the timer in a very quick 1:09.54 on a fast main track.

“She was coming into this race ready from two very nice races,” trainer Paulo Lobo said. “She’s a very special mare. I think she has a bright future. I felt good because the body language of Saez, she looked very comfortable outside and when they came home, my feeling was very good.”

Four-year-old Center Aisle is now 4-0-3 in eight starts, earning $263,190. She is owned by Larry Best’s OXO Equine, who made her the sales-topper of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton March Sale when the hammer fell at $1.5 million.

A daughter of Into Mischief, Center Aisle was bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm.