Laurel: Softly Lit leads one-two finish for Kobiskie in Selmina

Coupled stablemates Softly Lit and Embracing Hearts ran one-two in Saturday’s $75,000 Selima Stakes, completing a sweep of Laurel Park’s two fall turf stakes for 2-year-olds for trainer Dane Kobiskie and owner PTK LLC

The six-furlong Selima, Laurel’s oldest stakes race, was the feature attraction as the track celebrated its centennial. Laurel Park debuted on Oct. 2, 1911 under the auspices of the Laurel Four Corners County Fair.

Kobiskie and PTK won last week’s Laurel Futurity with Lemon Juice.

In the Selima, Softly Lit ($5.60) led from start to finish over yielding ground, although Embracing Hearts made it close by rallying in the stretch to get within a half-length at the wire. Softly Lit, who won the Tippett at Colonial Downs in June as a 30-1 outsider, completed the distance in 1:14.37.

“Dane just told me to go with her however she broke,” said jockey Sarah Rook, who has been aboard for both of Softly Lit’s stakes wins. “If anything out broke us we were going to sit behind it and if we out broke everyone else the idea was to go to the front. She’s a very talented sprinter. I was more worried about the length of the stretch than I was about the actual distance. She proved me wrong.”

“I really liked both fillies but was worried about the rain we got all week,” said Kobiskie. “When the race stayed on the grass I knew we were going to be in good shape. It is great to win any race. I am really happy for the owners. They really want to win stakes races. I had run five horses this week and had five second-place finishes. It feels good to get a W.”

Good Looking Girl was a distant third. Scat’s Lassie, the 7-5 betting favorite, never threatened and finished fourth.