Free Like a Girl scores winning homecoming in Magnolia

Free Like a Girl made a triumphant return home to Louisiana and won the $100,000 Magnolia for the second time in her career Friday night at Delta Downs.

The race was one of four Louisiana-bred stakes on the card. Each race was run at seven furlongs, which is a two-turn configuration at Delta.

Free Like a Girl ($2.20) is back home after a whirlwind spring and summer in which she placed in Grade 1 races at Oaklawn and Churchill Downs and became the all-time Louisiana-bred earner after winning the $500,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon on Aug. 23 at Charles Town.

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The Magnolia win Friday night improved Free Like a Girl’s career record to 19 wins from 43 starts for earnings of $1,979,978. She sat off fractions of 23.60 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.05 for the half-mile before going on to a 2 3/4-length win in 1:26.07.

The track was fast and Elio Barrera was aboard the daughter of El Deal.

Miss Priority finished second in the race in which there was an inquiry. The horses Muchmorethanready and World War fell during the running of the stakes and their jockeys, Joel Dominguez and Devin Magnon, both escaped serious injury and rode later on the card. There is not yet have an update on the status of the horses, with the official chart of the race noting World War was vanned off Friday.

Free Like a Girl is owned by Gerald Bruno Jr., Jerry Caroom, and her trainer, Chasey Deville Pomier.

Deville Pomier said a goal is to reach $2 million in earnings with Free Like a Girl, who is 5. She said provided the mare shows a desire to keep racing, she could target some winter stakes at Oaklawn and Sam Houston.

Louisiana Jewel

Secret Faith ran her record to 4 for 4 when she won her two-turn debut in the Jewel for 2-year-old fillies. She darted home by 6 1/4 lengths over Warrior’s Justice. Secret Faith was prominent through fractions of 23.54 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.97 for the half-mile before covering the distance in 1:27.72.

C.J. McMahon was aboard for trainer Jayde Gelner.

Secret Faith ($2.80), who races for Norman Stables, was winning the third stakes race of her young career. She was a 14-length winner of a division of the D.S. “Shine” Young Memorial Futurity in August at Evangeline Downs and prior to that won a division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity at Lone Star Park.

Secret Faith is a daughter of Aurelius Maximus.

* A Million Moons ($5.60) was a three-length winner over Majority Opinion in the Legacy for 2-year-olds. Jairo Rodriguez was aboard the son of Mo Tom, who covered the distance in 1:27.44. Henry Johnson Jr. trains for Hoffman Family Racing.

* Blue Cheese ($48.40) was up for a neck win over Myglorybe in the Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up. The winner covered the distance in 1:26.06. Joel Dominguez was aboard the son of Midshipman for Mark Necaise and trainer Sam Breaux.

* Super Derby runner-up The Donegal Clan ($3.60) won an allowance over older rivals to open the card Friday.

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