Photo: CDI
Maggi Moss’s favored
Lovely Vin won Fair Grounds’ $60,000 Dixie Poker Ace Stakes on Saturday as expected, but he did it in an unexpected way.
Instead of taking command shortly after the break, he let ladies go first, allowing the lone filly Sunday’s Child, owned by Brittlyn Stable, to set the pace with early splits of 24.76 and 49.89. However, when entering the lane, Lovely Vin challenged for command and drew clear late for a 5 1/4-length tally in 1:39.76 accomplished over the about one mile distance of the “soft” Stall-Wilson Turf Course.
“He actually had a target to run at today and I think he liked it,” said trainer Tom Amoss, “but that wasn’t the plan.”
Ridden by Fair Grounds’ two-time defending jockey champion and current leading rider Rosie Napravnik, Lovely Vin returned mutuels of $5.60, $3.40 and $2.40 and increased his career earnings to $162,123 with his sixth win in 11 career starts.
Sunday’s Child continued with good courage and gamely held down the runner-up spot by a nose at the wire over the late-charging Sadie’s Soldier, owned by Henry Benoit.
Sunday’s Child paid $7.20 and $4.20 while Sadie’s Soldier returned $2.60 to show.