Niki Hill stays perfect in $500,500 Shes A Great Lady

Niki Hill battled down the stretch to keep her undefeated record intact as she won the $500,500 Shes A Great Lady for two-year-old harness racing pacing fillies on Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Dexter Dunn sent the daughter of Always B Miki wide into the first turn, weighing his options as a three-horse war for the front raged in front of him. Treacherous Kiss (Doug McNair) struck the front first from post ten before Joyride Hanover (Tim Tetrick) circled her on the first turn. Niki Hill followed Boudoir Hanover (Todd McCarthy) two-wide past the quarter mile marker in :26.4 and advanced past that rival on the backstretch to secure control of the top spot.

Niki Hill hit the half in :54.4 and met the first-over Prohibition Legal (James MacDonald) as they traveled to three-quarters in 1:22.3. Prohibition Legal made headway as they turned for home and barreled down the stretch, but Niki Hill refused to give up the lead and found more pace late to complete the victory in 1:50.2.

Prohibition Legal was one and three quarter lengths short. Joyride Hanover won a photo for third. The winner paid $2.30.

Dunn said his filly responded as he expected.

“James and his filly really threw down there coming to three-quarters and into the stretch there,” Dunn said in his post-race interview. “I hadn’t asked my filly too much yet, but I thought she had more in the tank and she kicked away at the end of it.

“I knew there was going to be a couple leavers in there, we got away in a handy enough spot, and after that she just took me around. She’s got all the power.”

NIKI HILL REPLAY

Niki Hill, a Christopher Ryder trainee, is now five-for-five lifetime. She debuted on Jul. 23 in the Kindergarten Series at the Meadowlands, won a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event on Aug. 9, and another Kindergarten contest on Sep. 10 before shipping to Mohawk Park for her Shes A Great Lady bid. The filly set a new lifetime mark of 1:50.2 in her elimination win. She has now earned $315,041 for owner Tom Hill of Hamilton.

“It feels great, I’m really really pleased,” Hill said. “Especially after losing the ability to race Party Girl (Hill) this year through injury. God sent me two champions – he sent me this one, and he sent me Grace (Hill). The two super fillies fill the void for Party Girl.

When asked how he would describe Niki Hill after saying Party Girl Hill is a “Rolls Royce with hair,” Hill said “a Ferrari with hair.”

For full race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink