Niki Hill back to form in $150,000 Bluegrass

LEXINGTON, KY— Last season’s Dan Patch champ in her division Niki Hill (Always B Miki) returned to her stakes-winning form off a late-spring racing injury to best her sophomore harness racing pacing filly peers in the $150,000 Papi Rob Hanover Bluegrass Stakes on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 1) at The Red Mile.

Boudoir Hanover bounded for the lead with Niki Hill floating off the wings from post 7 with nowhere at the pylons to sit by a :28 first quarter. Driver Dexter Dunn ventured forward with the Chris Ryder trainee and forged to the lead approaching a :54.2 half with no one gaining ground on her to the turn. She maintained her speed to three-quarters in 1:22 and braced for the two-pronged challenge from Boudoir Hanover and Max Contract in the stretch.

Dunn kept Niki Hill to task through the lane and the filly held firm on the lead to the finish of a 1:49 mile. Boudoir Hanover settled for second, beaten a length, with Max Contract third and Just Divine ascending to fourth via disqualification.

NIKI HILL REPLAY

“It’s been a shame she’s missed the whole season so far, but it’s also great to have her back and get a few races at the end of the year,” Dexter Dunn said after the race. “We were real happy with her [race] at The Meadowlands last start. She’s a great horse; she’s got a great will to win. I was confident in her.”

A winner in 10 of 13 starts, Niki Hill has accrued $984,057 in earnings for owner Tom Hill. She returned $5.58 to win in her third start of the season and collected her first stakes victory since cutting her ankle in a race at Harrah’s Philadelphia on May 29.

The Papi Rob Hanover Bluegrass Stakes was sponsored by the Papi Rob Hanover Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farm.

For complete race results, click here.

by Ray Cotolo, for the Red Mile