Posted: 12/31/2005 5:22:00 PM ET

Trainer Bobby Barbara's decision to bypass an allowance race and enter Laurafina in a stakes race following a five-month layoff proved to be a profitable one as the game three-year-old daughter of Cozzene made a commanding charge from ninth to win the $100,000 Frances A. Genter Stakes (G3) on Saturday at Calder Race Course.

Snug Harbour and stakes winner Champagne Ending vied for the early lead, while Laurafina, with Rafael Bejarano aboard, rated in reserve from ninth. Pommes Frites, the 2.80-to-1 favorite, galloped along in fourth in the field of 12.

Advancing with precision, Laurafina bore out into the stretch of the 7 1/2-furlong race and blazed past Champagne Ending to score a three-quarter-length tally in 1:27.07 over a firm course for her first stakes triumph.

Champagne Ending, gamely attempting to hold her position, finished second. More Than Promised, winner of the Pago Hop Stakes at Louisiana Downs on November 26, made a convincing run from tenth to finish another half-length back in third.

"My filly broke very sharp, but I didn't want her to go too fast early so I just put her in a good position and waited," said Bejarano. "At the three-eighths pole there was an opening, so I put her in there. When we turned for home, I moved outside and when she saw daylight she took off."

Barbara was pleased with Laurafina's return to action and initial stakes win after being sidelined with a soft tissue injury following her sixth-place finish in the Lake George Stakes (G3) on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course.

"You can see where she was favored in the Lake George last summer," Barbara said. "We really loved her that day, but didn't run her race. The next morning, we found she had some soft tissue damage in a foreleg, so we sent her to the farm and gave her plenty of time.

"I brought her to Gulfstream a few weeks ago, and worked a few times. We considered bringing her back in an allowance last week, but decided 'What the heck? Let's go for it an run her in a stakes.' I really haven't looked past this race yet, but there will be plenty of opportunities for her."

Laurafina, owned by Sabine Stable, finished second in the Sands Point Stakes (G3) on June 5 at Belmont Park. Overall, she has won three of seven starts, all on turf. The $60,000 winner's share of the purse boosts her earnings to $137,620.

Bred in Kentucky by Betty Bizsantz, Laurafina is out of the stakes winning Avenue of Flags mare Avenue Shopper.