Lion D N A Relishes Slop in Skipat Surprise
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Lion D N A enjoyed an ideal set-up in splashing to victory in the $100,000 Skipat Stakes Presented by Finlandia, the first of seven stakes races on the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes program May 16 at Pimlico Race Course .
Ridden by Joel Rosario, who picked up the mount earlier in the day, Lion D N A comfortably tracked from third the contested early pace set by race favorite Winning Image and Flattering Bea who dueled through an opening quarter in :22.92 over the sloppy, sealed track.
The leaders hit the half-mile mark in :45.84 with little between them while Lion D N A swung wide around the turn to launch her bid. After brushing slightly with She's Ordained at the top of the stretch, Lion D N A hit her best stride in the lane and collared the pacesetters inside the sixteenth pole.
Lion D N A won the six-furlong fixture by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 1:11.09, and returned $11.20, $5.60, and $2.80. Flattering Bea, runner-up in last year's Miss Preakness Stakes on Black-Eyed Susan day, gamely held second ($6.40 and $3) and completed the $59.60 exacta. Winning Image finished third and paid $2.10 to show.
"I had a plan to send her a little bit," said Rosario. "I just let her sail and let her make the one run. I was hoping she wouldn't drop far back. It took some time to get her in the race. If I would have let her fall too far, I didn't think she could make it."
Bred in Illinois by Pat Greco, Lion D N A is owned by Ronald Ulrich, Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Gary Aisquith. Rudy Rodriguez trains the 5-year-old mare by Lion Heart—Too Many Holes, by Touch Gold.
"The shorter field really helped," said Asquith. "My horse relishes the slop. The race set up perfectly for us because there was speed up front. That helped us out and gave us a shot in the last half furlong."
The Skipat score was Lion D N A's third stakes victory for Rodriguez in her past five starts. Earlier this year she annexed both the Interborough and Correction handicaps, both at six furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The $60,200 winner's share of the Skipat purse raised Lion D N A's bankroll to $403,598. She is now a winner in nine of 31 lifetime starts.
Originally drawn with a field of nine, the Skipat Stakes was reduced to five starters as a result of scratches due to the sloppy condition of the racetrack.