Niceasakittenseyes ($176) surprises in Bobbie Bricker Memorial Handicap
Niceasakittenseyes closed out her season with a bang, rallying to win Saturday's $75,000 Bobbie Bricker Memorial Handicap at Mahoning Valley, the final stakes race of the year in Ohio, as the longest shot on the board, returning $176.
This was the first stakes victory for Niceasakittenseyes, a 3-year-old William's Kitten filly trained by Craig Sweeting for Melissa Edgington. She was fourth in the Cincinnatian Stakes in July at Belterra Park in her lone prior try at the level. The filly has now won 3 of 15 career starts, all coming this year in Ohio.
Edge of Night narrowly led Lexy Anna early in the Bobbie Bricker for statebred fillies and mares. They dueled on the front end through opening fractions of 23.41 for the quarter, 47.04 for the half, and 1:12.40 for six furlongs on the sealed track, rated good. The eventual winner was biding her time in seventh in the field of 11, but less than three lengths back approaching the quarter pole, under Fernando Salazar Becerra.
Edge of Night dug in for the stretch drive and inched her way to a half-length lead over Lexy Anna in upper stretch, with Mobil Lady another head back in third. But Niceasakittenseyes appeared on the scene six wide and scooted past to win by 1 1/4 lengths going away. She finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.93.
Mobil Lady secured second, 1 3/4 lengths clear of a stubborn Edge of Night. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to favored Star Lady, who raced evenly throughout in fourth.
One race prior, favored Thedayofthegrey ($3) got back in the win column with a front-running six-length score in the $75,000 Joshua Radosevich Memorial for Ohio-accredited juveniles. Relish the Ride was second, and the filly Out for Fun was third as Thedayofthegrey finished the six furlongs in 1:13.54 under regular rider Sonny Leon.
This was the third career stakes victory for Thedayofthegrey, all at six furlongs. The Twinspired gelding trained by Robert Cline and owned by Cline and breeder Richard Wilkinson previously took the Cleveland Kindergarten at Thistledown and the Loyalty Stakes at Belterra, both going six furlongs. The gelding stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the Best of Ohio Juvenile, finishing 11th after dueling for the lead.