Refreshed by a 30 second-quarter breather, Lydeo held on for a front-end score in Wednesday’s $12,500 opening leg of the Ruby Cook Memorial Pace at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.
The series for three-year-old fillies honours the memory of Ruby Cook, longtime switchboard operator at The Meadows.
Lydeo reached the point after a contested :27.1 opening panel. But when Hunter Myers slowed the pace thereafter, the daughter of Sweet Lou-Show The World was able to thwart the Lightning Lane charge of Gray Skies and down her by a half-length in 1:52.2. Sharp Looker finished third.
Randy Bendis trains Lydeo, who won her second straight, and owns with Reed Broadway and Pollack Racing LLC.
In the $16,000 Filly & Mare Open Handicap Pace, Tonianne shot the Lightning Lane to triumph in a career-best 1:51.3 over a “good” surface for Brady Brown, trainer Dane Snyder and owner Linwood Higgins. The four-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere-Table Talk lifted her lifetime bankroll to $128,234. Lady Newton and Game Of Shadows completed the ticket. It was one of three wins for Brown on the 11-race card.
Live racing at The Meadows continues Thursday when the 12-race program features a pair of carryovers — $3,258.62 in the final-race Super Hi-5, $2,682.20 in the Jackpot Pick 5 (race four). First post is 12:45 p.m.
(MSOA)