Familiar trio strikes at Penn National

The team of trainer Andrea Gonzalez, owner-breeder Bonnie Ratajski, and jockey Hector Ramos made another successful stakes excursion to Penn National on Friday night.

For the second time in two years, the trio shipped in a horse from Philadelphia Park to win a fall stakes. This time, they struck gold with Deesadiva ($4.60), who held off even-money favorite Lavender Romp to take the $100,000 Roanoke for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-old fillies.

In the fall of 2007, the same team won the Blue Mountain Juvenile with Espindola.

Deesadiva, coming off an easy win over maiden claimers at Philadelphia month ago, dueled to deep stretch with 26-1 longshot pacesetter Western Romp, then moved clear in the final furlong and finished three-quarters of a length ahead of a rallying Lavender Romp.

Lavender Romp, who won her maiden on the same card as Deesadiva, outfought Western Fault by a head for second in the field of six.

Deesadiva ran the six furlongs on a track rated good in 1:13.03.