Woodbine: Lemon Maid has easy time

Lemon Maid ($2.40) toyed with her three opponents in the $106,400 Hill 'n' Dale Stakes at Woodbine, winning the 1 1/16-mile event for 3-year-old fillies by four lengths.

Lemon Maid broke a little slowly under Todd Kabel, who put her in an outside stalking position along the backstretch. On the far turn, she drew even with front-running Warm Rain, who had set moderate fractions, and went on to prevail in a time of 1:47.81.

"She took a funny step leaving the gate," said Malcolm Pierce, who trains Lemon Maid for Live Oak Plantation. "Todd took a little bit of a hold of her, and it worked out well. She relaxed off [Warm Rain] and avoided a speed duel."

Warm Rain finished 7 1/2 lengths clear of the third-place finisher, Charming Ruckus, and Simply Again was a distant fourth.

Lemon Maid earned $67,032 for the win, her third in four starts. The first three finishers received a stallion season to one of three Hill 'n' Dale stallions: Theatrical, El Corredor, and Stormy Atlantic.