Sam Noble III found himself in a familiar spot on Monday afternoon -- the winner’s circle at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio
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Noble guided ML Cupcake to a hard-earned, one and three-quarter-length victory over Photo Memory (driven by Jim Dailey) in 1:59.4 in the first division of the Ohio Breeders Championship for freshmen trotting fillies.
ML Cupcake and Photo Memory were both hustled off the gate and battled for the early lead. Photo Memory cleared to the lead just past the quarter (:30) and passed the half mile station (1:00.3). Count Your Credit (Marty Wollam) pressured the leader past the three quarter pole in 1:30. Noble angled the eventual winner off the rail and came home in :29.4 for the victory.
ML Cupcake, a Master Lavec filly, is trained by Scott Mogan for William Johnson II and Douglas Millard.
With the victory, Noble now has 96 career wins over the Delaware oval. The winning time was just one-fifth of a second off the stakes record of 1:59.3.
In the second $19,711 division, driver JD Wengerd made an aggressive move with Minnie Spur just past the half mile station and cruised to a two-length victory over Striking Lass (Robin Miller) in 2:01.
The victory was Minnie Spur’s third in 12 seasonal starts. The daughter of Pegasus Spur is owned by Robert C. Sidley of Painesville, Ohio and conditioned by Mike Medors.
(Little Brown Jug)