Maiden draws in, then draws off by 6

When entries were taken Wednesday for Saturday's $50,000 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway, Tacky Cat appeared an unlikely starter, much less a winner.

An also-eligible in an overflow field, she needed two scratches simply to gain a starting position. But receive them she did, and Tacky Cat drew into the field.

Once the race began, however, Tacky Cat looked like a winner from the start. She rated in third just off two dueling leaders as they set fractions of 22.85 and 46.32 over the Polytrack surface, and after surging three abreast to take command, she drew off to a six-length triumph over favored Emma Darling.

Tacky Cat's win in the Cincinnati Trophy marked more than her first stakes victory. It marked her first victory, period. She had previously made two starts, finishing third in her debut at Turfway, and second, beaten a head, in her last outing there Dec. 27.

Tacky Cat, a 3-year-old daughter of Tactical Cat owned and bred by Clovertown Farm and trained by Wayne Mogge, ran 6 1/2 furlongs under Orlando Mojica in 1:18.43. She paid $13.60.

She's Due followed Emma Darling in third, with Clear Cut finishing fourth.