Lady Rita held off stablemate Jumpingjoy N to capture her third straight $26,027 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Northfield Park.
Lady Rita and driver Aaron Merriman didn’t complicate things. The mare fired to the front before the field was off the straightaway and led the single-file group through early fractions of :28.2 and :57.4 and to five-eighths. The sustained pressure for the remaining three-eighths of a mile came from Jumpingjoy N (Chris Lems), who pulled within a half-length at three-quarters in 1:27.1. Jumpingjoy N and Lady Rita battled side-by-side into the final strides, and Lady Rita dug in to win by a neck in 1:56.4. First Of Her Name (Braiden Rhoades) was third.
Lady Rita, a six-year-old daughter of Always B Miki-Big City Betty, upped her career win tally to 19, seven of which have come at the Open level. The win pushed her career earnings to $358,926 in 80 starts. She is conditioned by Sam Schillaci and owned by Paul O’Neil of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The win price was $3.20.
Driver Dan Noble won six of the night's 14 races, extending his already massive lead in the drivers' standings. He visited the winner's circle with Rising Fire ($4), Stay Salty ($3), Justabitofcharm ($6), Ali Sweet Cake ($7.40), St Lads Crypto ($5.20) and Sunni Red ($6.20). Noble racked up 82 wins in January, all at Northfield, and leads all drivers both at the track and in North America. Aaron Merriman is second in both, with 29 wins at Northfield and 58 overall.
Live racing resumes on Sunday with 14 races and a monster-sized carryover of $30,407 in the Pick-5. The $1 base bet beginning in the sixth race will feature an estimated pool of $150,000 and the player-friendly 14 per cent takeout. There is also going to be another 50-cent Pick-6 carryover of $3,595 beginning in the 8th race. The Pick-5 is offered in conjunction with the U.S. Trotting Association's Strategic Wagering Program. Post time is set for 6 p.m.
(With files from Northfield Park)