Queen Lilly Kay defends title in Hawkeyes Handicap

ALTOONA, Iowa – Queen Lilly Kay, the defending champ and 2-5 favorite, pulled away from her six Iowa-bred rivals entering the stretch and remained clear of a determined stretch bid from Ginger Added to register a 1 1/4-length victory in Friday's $82,875 Hawkeyes Handicap.

Queen Lilly Kay, a 5-year-old Indy King mare trained by Kelly Von Hemel, broke sharply from her rail berth under Glenn Corbett and raced on or near the lead until her decisive move leaving the far turn. Patiently ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Ginger Added closed ground readily in the stretch and finished 4 3/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Jokes N Jazz.

Collecting $49,725 for Mark Lauterbach's Five One Five O Stables, Queen Lilly Kay won for the fourth time over this surface and pushed her local earnings to $207,167. She covered the 1 1/16th mile distance in 1:45.99.