ARCADIA, Calif. – It was a September to forget for jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who is hoping October is far better. It’s starting off the right way. Van Dyke was injured Sept. 2 when Eight Rings ducked in not long after the start of the Del Mar Futurity, and the arm and head injuries he suffered kept him sidelined for most of the month and ended up costing him mounts on highly regarded 2-year-olds like Eight Rings and Bast when they ran, and won, last weekend. But on Saturday, Van Dyke got his first stakes win since that accident, and the manner in which he did it showed he’s back at full strength. He muscled Lady Ninja home to a narrow victory over Selcourt in the Grade 3, $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes for older female sprinters at Santa Anita. Van Dyke had been aboard Lady Ninja in her previous start, the Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar on Aug. 11, when she broke poorly and finished third. He got the return call from trainer Richard Baltas and the partnership that owns Lady Ninja, a gesture he appreciated. “I’m happy for them. I appreciate them sticking with me after she got left,” Van Dyke said. Lady Ninja had no problem leaving the gate on Saturday. Breaking from the inside in a five-horse field, she was just off the early pace of the swift Selcourt, split Selcourt and favored Anonymity in upper stretch, but needed the length of the stretch to get past Selcourt and win by a nose. It was another 5 1/4 lengths back to Anonymity in third, then came Show It N Moe It and Streak of Luck. Flor de La Mar was scratched earlier in the day and entered back in an allowance race on Thursday. Lady Ninja paid $7.40 and completed 6 1/2 furlongs on the fast main track in 1:16.79. Selcourt, fresh for her first start since March, carved out quick fractions of 21.44 seconds for the quarter and 44.13 seconds for the half. “She broke good today, not like last time,” Van Dyke said. “After that it was a matter of when I could get out. My filly was game. It was tight. She showed a lot of fight.” Van Dyke said he feels “great.” He said he was going “stir crazy” awaiting clearance to ride again. “You can only work out so much,” he said. Lady Ninja, 5, is a daughter of Majesticperfection who has blossomed in the 13 months Baltas has had her since claiming her for $25,000, especially in recent months. She ran for $40,000 as recently as February, but has now won four of her last six starts. She has won eight times in 22 starts, and is 6 for 10 at Santa Anita. Now a decision will have to be made as to whether to roll the dice in four weeks in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint here. Baltas co-owns Lady Ninja along with long-time clients Harry Bederian, Harout Kamberian, and Hagop Nakkashian.