School Board Prez returns to stakes-winning form

The hard-knocking School Board Prez scored the seventh stakes victory of her career in Sunday's $75,000 Vivacious Handicap for Ohio-bred fillies and mares at Belterra Park, but it was her first since winning the same race two years ago.

School Board Prez, a 5-year-old Courageous Cat mare trained by Doug Matthews for John Royer, won the first three starts of her career in 2015, all in stakes, capped by the John W. Galbreath Stakes on the Best of Ohio showcase program. She added three more stakes victories in 2016, including that year's Vivacious. Since then, she has placed in four stakes, including a runner-up effort in last fall's Best of Ohio Distaff, and a runner-up effort in the J. William Petro Memorial Handicap last out.

School Board Prez ($9.60) was last of 10 in the early going as favored True Cinder dueled with Touch of Bling through the early fractions, including a sharp opening quarter of 22.78 seconds on the yielding turf. School Board Prez had worked her way to fifth by upper stretch as the leaders faded, with Pedro Cotto Jr., swinging her wide in the lane for running room. She edged clear in the final stages for a half-length victory over a rallying Takechargedelilah, finishing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.48.

It was another 2 3/4 lengths to Snowie Hill in third. Multiple stakes winner True Cinder faded to seventh, finishing off the board for the first time since her career debut in 2016.