Still There has easy victory in Twixt Stakes

Still There improved her record to three wins from four starts with an easy victory in the $75,000 Twixt Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday.

With jockey Jevian Toledo aboard, Still There sped seven furlongs in 1:21.73 to win by 3 1/2 lengths over 5-2 Lake Ponchatrain. Still There paid $14.60 as the fifth choice in the seven-horse field of fillies and mares.

Still There looked like a winner almost the entire race. Magical sprinted clear early while being tracked by 2-1 favorite Bishop's Pond as Still There was unhurried while settling into third.

On the far turn, Bishop's Pond moved up to challenge Magical. Still There breezed to the lead three wide nearing the stretch and then pulled away to finish under a hand ride by Toledo.

Lake Ponchatrain finished with a late bid to best Bishop's Pond for second by a neck. Magical tired to finish fifth.

"We were in a great spot," Toledo said. "I had a ton of horse. I put my stick away once we had it won."

Still There is based at the Thoroughbred Training Center outside Lexington, Ky., with Dane Kobiskie, a former jockey and trainer in Maryland. Kobiskie rode 119 winners at Laurel Park before retiring in 2008.

He was the leading trainer in Maryland in 2011 and second in wins in 2012. Kobiskie, 39, led the trainer standings twice at the Laurel Park winter meet. He now has 193 training wins at Laurel.

The PTK LLC of Paula, Tom, and Kaitlin Haughey own Still There, a 4-year-old New York-bred daughter of Union Rags. PTK is based in Virginia and are longtime clients of Kobiskie, a former U.S. Marine.

Still There won her career debut in an open Keeneland maiden race in April. Kobiskie then sent her to Belmont Park, where she romped by 7 1/2 lengths in a New York-bred first-level allowance going seven furlongs in the slop.

In her start prior to the Twixt, Still There attempted to stretch out to a mile on turf in a statebred optional claimer at Belmont but didn’t show her typical spark and finished sixth.

"I've been gone from here a few years but we brought some horses in this weekend to run, and she was the main reason," Kobiskie said of Still There. "We tried her on turf last time because there weren't any long dirt races in New York for her, but she didn't like the grass at all."