Leona’s Reward rallies in Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial

Leona’s Reward entered the $75,000 Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Thistledown as an imposing favorite, and she powered down the stretch like one to prevail with a three-wide rally.

The 5-year-old Parents’ Reward mare settled in third from the outside post in the five-horse field of Ohio-accredited fillies and mares, while Blanconia and True Cinder took out to the lead from the inside. Blanconia held a half-length advantage over True Cinder through a blistering opening quarter in 22.42 seconds.

The two leaders continued to battle closely through the turn and into a half-mile in 45.84, while jockey Pablo Morales kept Leona’s Reward about three paths off the rail and two lengths behind the top duo. Leona’s Reward remained a couple lengths behind at the top of the stretch, as True Cinder began to wrestle the lead away from Blanconia.

Morales started to ask Leona’s Reward with the right-handed stick, and he sat down tight on his mount as she took aim at True Cinder and jockey Kevin Radke. Morales then switched his whip to the left hand as he moved past Blanconia, and he pushed hard as Leona’s Reward charged past True Cinder in the final strides to win by a length. Mygirlfriday ran steadily to pass a fading Blanconia and finish third, 2 1/4 lengths behind True Cinder.

Leona’s Reward completed the six-furlong race in 1:11.48 over a fast track. She paid $3.40 to win as the heavy favorite.

The mare raced as a homebred for trainer Tim Hamm’s Blazing Meadows Farm, who campaigns the horse in partnership with Michael Friedman. Saturday’s race marked the fourth time Hamm has won the Classen as a trainer, and it was his first stakes victory of 2018.

With the victory, Leona’s Reward improved her lifetime record to 11 wins in 29 career starts for earnings of $470,856. It was her seventh career stakes victory, and redeemed her second-place finish in last year’s Classen, in which she finished behind this year’s runner-up True Cinder.