Raider edges clear in Red Smith Handicap

Raider and I Miss Back When hooked up just past the three-eighths pole and turned the $50,000 R.K. “Red” Smith into a two-horse race Friday night at Northlands Park, with Raider prevailing by a half-length in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. She paid $3.70.

With Rico Walcott aboard, Raider sat comfortably in fourth while her stablemate Suzette zipped off a quick first quarter-mile in 23.43 seconds over a track rated “muddy.” The field bunched up going into the second turn, and coming out of the turn, I Miss Back When started to put pressure on the leader.

Raider joined the pair when they straightened out going down the backstretch, with Suzette dropping back soon afterward. Raider and I Miss Back When raced as a team until Raider edged clear in the final yards. Madam Bullet, who was in tight on the second turn, rallied to finish third.

The final time was 1:45.94.

“I wanted to keep her close because the track seemed to be favoring speed,” said Walcott. “Once we hooked up, it was quite the race. She’s a nice filly, and I knew she was going to have to battle with I Miss Back When again.”

In their previous meeting on June 30, Raider edged I Miss Back When by a head in a one-mile allowance race, with Madam Bullet finishing third.

Madam Bullet is trained by Red Smith, 80, who graciously presented the winner’s trophy to owner Curtis Landry.

Raider, trained by Greg Tracy, is perfect in four starts at Northlands and has a 5-2-1 record from eight starts. The $29,400 winner’s share of the purse brought her earnings to $177,410. The British Columbia-bred daughter of Stephanotis was bred by William DeCoursey.