Autobahn Girl rebounds off clunker

Autobahn Girl proved her last, bad race was a fluke, not the beginning of a trend with a come-from-behind victory in the Marie G Krantz Memorial Handicap.

Racing through the slop, under a patient ride by jockey Patrick Husbands, Autobahn Girl prevailed by a neck over Candy Ball, paying $7.20 to win as the second choice.

Husbands kept her sixth of seven runners for most of the going before angling her out in the stretch to get up at the wire. She finished the 1 1/16-mile race, moved from the turf to the dirt, in 1:47.81.

"I'm a come-from-behind rider," said Husbands. "Today I sat on her, let her enjoy herself, and get the job done."

The win earned Autobahn Girl's connections, trainer Malcolm Pierce and owners Live Oak Plantation, $36,000. It was Autobahn Girl's second stakes win of the Fair Grounds meet. She also won the Pago Hop in November.

Her last race was a disappointing ninth-place finish in the Furl Sail Handicap.

"The turf was soft that day, but she had no excuses," said Pierce. "Give Patrick a lot of credit for his ride. He saved a lot of ground today."