Nightly Ritual brings win streak

Nightly Ritual will attempt to make it three in a row when she faces 10 other Indiana-sired-and-bred fillies and mares Friday in the $70,000 Shelby County at Indiana Downs.

Trained by Joe Davis, Nightly Ritual won her final race of 2008, the Indiana Stallion, by 7 1/4 lengths on Nov. 22. In her first outing this year, a statebred allowance event April 27, she triumphed over nine others, winning by a half-length.

"She came out of it great and I think she needed it," Davis said of her last win. "She has had two very good works since then."

After winning a maiden race on Sept. 18, Nightly Ritual had a pair of seconds in the $100,000 City of Anderson and the Miss Indiana. Those two events were followed by her impressive win in the Indiana Stallion, at the same six-furlong distance as the Shelby County.

With plenty of speed to her inside, Nightly Ritual drew the outside post in the field of 11. Her running style of coming from just off the pace should work to her advantage.

"The plan is to keep her just off the early pace, as she has in most of her races, and go by them in the stretch," Davis said.

Blu Vapor will be one of the pacesetters in her first start of the year. Trained by Tracey Wisner, Blu Vapor is a perfect 2 for 2 over the Indiana Downs surface.