Niche holds off At a Premium to take Charles Town Oaks
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Niche sprinted straight to the lead and never looked back in the Charles Town Oaks, handing odds-on favorite At a Premium the first defeat of her career on Friday night.
Dylan Davis rode Niche for Red White and Blue Racing and trainer Rob Atras, and Niche, running the race of her life, fended off At a Premium to win the $750,000 Charles Town Oaks by a half length.
West Virginia-bred At a Premium, the 7-10 favorite, suffered her first defeat following four blowout wins in statebred-restricted competition – races in which she made the lead.
Friday night, Niche was the quicker filly, laying down splits of 23.20 and 46.77 seconds while relentlessly pursued by At a Premium. The two fillies opened up on the rest of the field while racing around the second turn, but Niche held a half-length lead at the top of the stretch and At a Premium could get no closer.
Tahlequah, a 27-1 shot, rallied mildly for third, 1 1/2 lengths behind At a Premium but 4 3/4 lengths ahead of her Saffie Joseph-trained stablemate Tessellate, who checked in fourth. Luv Your Neighbor, the 2-1 second choice, could make no ground in a merry-go-round race and was fifth.
Niche paid $30 to win and ran seven furlongs over a fast track in 1:25.36, on the slow side of the race’s standard clocking.
Niche needed five tries to win a maiden race, made her stakes debut last month and finished second in a synthetic race at Presque Isle, and on Friday ran longer than 6 1/2 furlongs for the first time in her career. By Yaupon out of Stormbeforethecalm, by Quiet American, Niche was bred in Kentucky by Summerfield Sales Agency and Etarip Stables. Red White and Blue, a racing partnership, bought her for $275,000 as a Saratoga yearling in 2024.
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