Assiniboia Downs: Miss Victoriana rallies to repeat in Matron

Miss Victoriana, mounting a steady wide rally after trailing the field of nine through the first-half mile, kept coming for a determined 1 1/4- length victory in Friday night’s $50,000 Matron at Assiniboia Downs.

Based in Alberta with trainer Red Smith, Miss Victoriana had shipped east to capture last year’s 1 1/8-mile Matron at 7-1 and returned $13.70 this time around under new rider Stephan Heiler.

Notoriously, who had left Miss Victoriana in third place in their two recent stakes encounters over 1 1/16 miles at Northlands, rallied to the lead from just off the pace but could not withstand the winner’s bid while finishing a game second as the 6-5 favorite.

Locally based Witch’s Coven finished third in the final stakes of the meeting for the division, with Ruby’s Big Band and Fleet Mama dead-heating for fourth place.

Earlier on Friday’s card, Jon’s Golden Run prevailed as the surprising 9-5 choice for trainer Emile Corbel in the $50,000 Buffalo for Manitoba-bred 2-year-olds.

A maiden after two previous starts, Jon’s Golden Run obviously relished the chance to stretch out to a mile as he came from off the pace to score by 1 1/4 lengths under rider Rohan Singh.

Calitor and She’s Regal, also maidens and the latter one of three fillies in the nine-horse field, finished second and third, respectively.

Danger Rules, the 2-1 second choice off back-to-back scores including the six-furlong CTHS Sales Stakes, ended fourth after being in the hunt throughout.