A princess might have usurped a queen in the local filly and mare sprint division as Princess Kokachin downed heavily favored Hello Beautiful in the $75,000 Politely at Laurel Park. Contested at six furlongs, the Politely was one of two stakes restricted to Maryland-bred or -sired runners on the Saturday program along with the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial for 3-year-olds and up at seven-eighths of a mile. Princess Kokachin made her stakes debut in the Politely following four consecutive wins against lesser competition. She broke swiftly under Xavier Perez and immediately took the lead from the rail-drawn Hello Beautiful. Princess Kokachin completed an opening quarter in a wind-aided 21.98 seconds while keeping Hello Beautiful in a bit tight on the inside. Hello Beautiful and jockey Jevian Toledo were shuffled back along the fence entering the turn and the race was all but over at that juncture. :: DRF Black Friday: Get up to 50% off DRF Products. Offer ends soon. Princess Kokachin cruised through a half-mile in 45.12 and poured it on in the stretch to win by 5 1/2 lengths over Never Enough Time. It was another 2 1/4 lengths back to Paisley Singing in third. Hello Beautiful finished last, headed at the wire for fourth by uncoupled stablemate Miss Chesapeake. Proper Attire scratched. Street Lute and Malibu Beauty were also withdrawn in order to participate in Saturday’s Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies. Princess Kokachin completed the distance in 1:11.22 and paid $14.40 as the third choice in the betting. Princess Kokachin, a 3-year-old filly by Graydar, was one of several cross-entered in the Safely Kept. Trainer Jerry Robb's decision to run against the daunting Hello Beautiful paid dividends. "I told Xavier to ride her the same way he always does," Robb said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. "Don't worry about who's in the race. [Hello Beautiful] couldn't keep up with us and the 1 post isn't good when you can't keep up." Princess Kokachin survived a jockey's objection as Toledo claimed foul alleging interference on the backstretch. That claim was quickly rejected by the stewards. Eight-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful rode a three-race win streak into the Politely and was sent away at 1-5. As usual, she loaded into the gate without the rider and, although raced in a bit tight, never got into a comfortable rhythm. Of the $57,189 wagered into the show pool, $52,193 went to Hello Beautiful, resulting in skewed show payouts. Princess Kokachin paid $21.20 to show, Never Enough Time paid $15.60 and Paisley Singing paid $55.80. A homebred owned by Eric A. Rizer, Princess Kokachin has won 7 of 11 starts and is perfect from five appearances at Laurel Park. Her 2-year-old half-sister Sparkle Sprinkle finished third in the Maryland Million Lassie last month. Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial Racing is a game of highs and lows and never was that more apparent than after Whereshetoldmetogo captured the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial. Toledo and trainer Brittany Russell had to be devastated after Hello Beautiful’s poor performance three hours earlier, but they regrouped with Whereshetoldmetogo, a hickory 6-year-old gelding that scored for the 13th time in his career. Youngest of Five cleared off from the outside post to snag the lead and the rail through an opening quarter mile in a tepid 23.80 seconds. Meanwhile, Toledo had Whereshetoldmetogo settled in midpack four paths off the inside. Pace-pressers Galerio and Air Token ranged up alongside Youngest of Five after a half-mile in 46.73 with Whereshetoldmetogo being ridden confidently while widest on the strip. Whereshetoldmetogo changed leads in upper stretch, something that has been a problem for him at times, and he surged past a game Youngest of Five to win by a neck in 1:23.43. Air Token, the winner of the Maryland Million Sprint in his most recent start, was a nose back in third. Then came Galerio, Double Crown, Alwaysmining, Clubman and Plot the Dots. Hunter Joe and Band On Tour scratched. Sent away the 2-1 favorite, Whereshetoldmetogo paid $6.80 to win. “He relaxed so good in the beginning,” Toledo said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. “I knew I had a ton of horse. He’s a warrior. Sometimes he switched leads, sometimes he doesn’t. Once he switched leads, I said ‘It’s over.’” Earlier in the week, Russell said she was confident in Whereshetoldmetogo’s training. “He has a different air about him when he trains at Laurel,” she said. “He was back training like a man. Over at Pimlico, he would play up a bit and do some silly things but he’s back acting right.” Whereshetoldmetogo is a 6-year-old gelding by El Padrino. He has compiled a 11-6-1-1 record since being transferred to Russell from the Brad Cox barn during the summer of 2020. The Bender was his ninth stakes win.