Bluegrass Hall’s Dandyna
got the first five-day week of the new Fair Grounds season off to a
good start Thursday with a 1 3/4-length win in the first race of the
afternoon. The grass test carried a purse of $45,000.
The winner, a daughter of
Dynaformer, the sire of Barbaro,
came from off the pace and completed the distance of about 1 1/16-mile
over a Stall-Wilson turf course rated “good” in 1:49.50. She increased
her career earnings to $47,327 with the initial win of her career after
nine lifetime starts and returned mutuels of $6.80, $4, and $2.80 as
the second choice in the wagering.
Jockey
Brian Hernandez Jr. rode Dandyna, who is trained by longtime Fair Grounds-based trainer
Neil Howard.
Liz Squyres’
Snow Kissed, who made the
pace with splits of 26.19 and 53.48, could not stay with the winner
late but was clearly second best while finishing a length to the good of
Kiim and John Glenney’s
Harrow Hill.
Runner-up Snow Kissed paid $9.80 and $5, while Harrow Hill returned $6.60.