Dead heat between two female riders marks rare occurrence

The second race at Laurel Park on Saturday was one for the record books. That is, if racing kept records on such things.

Tidy Stripe, ridden by Forest Boyce, and Very Charming, with Carol Cedeno aboard, hit the wire together, resulting in a rare dead heat between two female riders.

Veteran Mid-Atlantic trainer Ned Allard never heard of it happening before. He contacted Abigail Fuller, the regular rider of 1985 champion 3-year-old filly Mom’s Command, whom Allard trained. Fuller could not find any evidence of a similar occurrence.

Hall of Fame rider Julie Krone also had no recollection of two female jockeys finishing in a dead heat.

Tidy Stripe, 8-1, paid $8.80 to win. Very Charming, 7-1, returned $8.20 in the $12,500 claiming sprint.

Cedeno and Boyce are accomplished riders. Cedeno has won four of the last five overall riding titles at Delaware Park. Boyce, a regular in the Maryland riding colony, has 748 career victories.