This time, Noble Bandit beats Day Trippi

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Noble Bandit dueled on the lead throughout with favored Day Trippi and earned a 2 1/4-length win in Saturday's $10,700 Runza Stakes at Fonner Park. The victory avenged Noble Bandit's loss to Day Trippi earlier this year.

Noble Bandit and Day Trippi had the show to themselves in the six-furlong test for fillies and mares. Noble Bandit and rider Jordan Olesiak kept a head in front of Day Trippi through a duel that went to inside the sixteenth pole, then they edged away late, giving Noble Bandit her first stakes victory.

Day Trippi held second, while Stroll By was another three-quarters of a length back in third.

Noble Bandit was coming off a hard-fought nose win over optional claiming rivals on March 21 and had been second to Day Trippi in the half-mile Bold Accent Stakes on opening weekend.

The win pushed Noble Bandit's career bankroll to $108,704 from a mark of 6-5-1 from 17 starts. She is trained by Savannah Rentie. Noble Bandit returned $8.80 as the third choice in a field of seven.