Our Epiphany tops field of three in Hilltop Stakes

BALTIMORE – When the $100,000 Hilltop Stakes came off the grass and scratched down to just three horses, trainer Dane Kobiskie, being a former rider, knew what needed to be done with his filly, Our Epiphany. He instructed jockey Grant Whitacre to head to the front, and they never looked back, scoring a 1 1/2-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.

“It was a jockeys’ race,” Kobiskie said. “I wanted Grant to make the lead, back the pace up, and turn it into a sprint the last part.”

Whitacre rode to perfection. He made the top, coaxed Our Epiphany through fractions of 25.20 seconds, 50.79, 1:16.61, and 1:41.65 en route to a final time of 1:48.07 on a track rated good. As the favorite, she paid $3.20.

Tupancy Links was second, and it was another 8 1/4 lengths back to the trailer, Southern Equity.

All three runners were 12-1 or higher on the original morning line, but the race changed dramatically when it came off the turf, and five of the eight entrants were scratched. Most notable among them was Daring Dancer, an unbeaten, graded stakes winner, who would have been an overwhelming favorite had the race stayed on turf.

Instead, Kobiskie earned what might have been the easiest stakes win of his career.

“I hope one day I win one easier,” he said.

Our Epiphany was bred and is owned by the PTK LLC of Paula (mother), Tom (father), and Kaitlin (daughter) Haughey. She is by Great Notion and is out of the Not For Love mare Racing Bridgett, whom Kobiskie rode when he was a jockey.

The win was the second in four starts for Our Epiphany, who won her debut at Charles Town and then was second and third in subsequent allowance races at Laurel and Pimlico.