Prairie Meadows: Sakakawea now 8 for 8 sprinting at Iowa track

Sakakawea, the prohibitive 2-5 favorite, prevailed in a suspense-filled renewal of the $70,000 Mamie Eisenhower, a six-furlong Iowa-bred stakes for fillies and mares, at Prairie Meadows on Friday night.

As is customary for Sakakawea, she broke sharply and controlled the pace against five rivals. However, as she tired in the final sixteenth, the 5-year-old daughter of Rossini drifted out under jockey Alex Birzer's stiff left-handed pressure and may have intimidated eventual third-place finisher Go Milan Go.

After a prolonged stewards’ inquiry, the result stood and Sakakawea is now 8 for 8 when sprinting at Prairie Meadows. Trained by Ray Tracy for his own Black Oak Farm, the mare captured the $42,000 first prize in a time of 1:10.84. The winning margin was 1 1/4 lengths.

Fellow Tracy trainee Samara Street, owned by Lloyd DeBruycker, rallied for second and was gradually gaining on her stablemate at the finish.