By Ray Cotolo, for the Meadowlands Racetrack
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – In the hangover
from the star campaign of Party Girl Hill, the duo of owner Tom Hill and
trainer Chris Ryder continue to ride their second wave of pacing filly power
with the Always B Miki debutante Niki Hill, who strode to a 1:50.4 win in
taking the $220,110 Kindergarten Classic Final for 2-year-old pacing fillies on
Saturday (Nov. 13) at The Meadowlands.
Dont Fence Me In dashed for the lead
from post 9 with Find Happiness securing the pocket and Treacherous Dragon
racing third before pulling off the pylons and swooping for the lead into a
:27.3 first quarter. Niki Hill tracked Treacherous Dragon’s move up the backside
and cleared command before a :55.2 half while cruising uncontested around the
final turn.
By three-quarters in 1:23.4,
Treacherous Dragon mounted a bid from the pocket after Niki Hill. But with a
few whip taps from driver Dexter Dunn, Niki Hill stayed to task and kept
Treacherous Dragon behind to win by 1-1/2 lengths under wraps in the end. Hood
Party gained ground from a minor first-over bid to take third from Dont Fence
Me In, who settled for fourth.
“We got lucky,” trainer Chris Ryder
said after the race on having another prominent pacing filly just one year
after Party Girl Hill. “[We] did a little bit of homework and stumbled across
her – she was right in front of me actually a half a dozen times. I always say
usually what you’re looking for is right in front of you, but we managed to get
the right one and it’s a thrill.
“There’s always something they can’t
do, but she’s doing everything we’re asking of her,” Ryder also said. “There’s
a bit of pressure when you’re supposed to win, but all the credit goes to her.
She’s just terrific. When you’re training horses and racing a lot of horses,
you know a lot of things can go wrong. But terrific horses overcome problems,
and she’s done that so far.
Winning her eighth race from nine
starts, Niki Hill has banked $732,866 through her season, which includes
victories in the $395,395 Shes A Great Lady at Woodbine Mohawk Park and the
$600,000 Breeders Crown Final two weeks ago at The Meadowlands. Ryder also said
that, assuming Niki Hill exits the race sound, they will enter her for one more
start this year in the Three Diamonds next Saturday (Nov. 20) at The
Meadowlands.
Sent the 1-5 favorite, Niki Hill paid
$2.40 to win.
