That's How I Roll in front all the way

The New York-based filly That's How I Roll doesn't normally race on the lead. But she dragged jockey Erick Rodriguez to the front in Friday's $50,000 Maryland Filly Championship at Laurel Park and remained ahead of her competition throughout the 7 1/2-furlong stakes.

"I was thinking about taking back but she wanted the lead," said Rodriguez, who led the Laurel fall jockey standings with 53 winners. "She got the lead so easily that when the other horses came at us she still had a lot left in the tank."

Despite drifting out five wide coming into the stretch and having trouble keeping a straight path again in deep stretch, That's How I Roll prevailed by 3 1/4 lengths to earn her first career stakes vicdtory.

Based at Belmont Park with trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, her previous best performance in a stakes came when she was second in the Junior Championship at Monmouth Park in August.

In a three-horse photo for second, 16-1 longshot Star Anna finished a neck in front of 20-1 bomber Spoken in French, who in turn was a neck ahead of Smart Tori.

Molly Molly Molly finished ninth as the 5-2 favorite.