BALTIMORE, Md. - Happy Like a Fool broke running like a fool and never looked back, as the well-traveled filly splashed home authoritatively for a wire-to-wire, 6 1/2-length win in the Grade 3, $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes for sophomore fillies sprinting on Friday afternoon at Pimlico.

Away from the rail under Tyler Gaffalione, Happy Like a Fool ($10.40) led through an opening quarter in an honest 23.06 seconds on the sloppy track, with Artistic Diva tracking off her flank. She shook off that pursuer through the half in 46.13 seconds, and continued to power clear in the lane while kept off the rail, in the two or three path, by Gaffalione. She stopped the clock in 1:10.12 for the six furlongs.

Happy Like a Fool came into the Miss Preakness off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Beaumont Stakes last month at Keeneland. The Distorted Humor filly made four starts at four different tracks in both the U.S. and England for trainer Wesley Ward last year, with a creditable runner-up effort in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, and a win in the Grade 3 Matron Stakes at Belmont.

Artistic Diva easily held second by 3 1/4 lengths, with Buy Sell Hold rallying for third. Good Move, sent away as the favorite, was never involved.

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