Lady's early speed 'Rewarded' with third victory

Reward the Lady grabbed the race by the throat and refused to let go Tuesday night at Presque Isle Downs, leading gate to wire on her way to a third lifetime victory.

Sent off as the second favorite at about 7/2 odds, the 3-year-old filly bolted to an early lead under Scott Spieth and got away with sensible fractions of 23.34 and 46.63, chased a length-and-a-half back by 4/5 favorite Draw a Blank, piloted by Robert Allen Jr. As the field straightened for home, Reward the Lady had plenty in reserve to win by a driving 2 1/4 lengths over late-closing 9/1 shot Lady in the Park, with Doublenodouble taking third by a neck over the short-price favorite.

Final time for 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta was 1:18.33.

Reward the Lady (Grand Reward-You're a Lady, by Youmadeyourpoint) was bred in Pennsylvania by E&D Enterprises and Grand Reward Syndicate. She is owned by Touchdown Stable and trained by J. Michael Rogers.

I shortlisted the dark bay or brown filly on a 48-horse chart of prospects for a bargain-minded client at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in training at Timonium, Md. Her dam won a dozen races for about $180,000, including the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper and had produced several winners. Though she wasn't the strongest horse on my list conformationally (hence her "Priority 4" status), Reward the Lady had no major flaws, she breezed a credible 10.4 over a slow Timonium track, and she is from the female family of G3 winner WHERE'S TAYLOR and G1 record-setter PASS THE LINE.

She sold for just $6,000 as the first horse through the ring, Hip 1. With her win Tuesday night, Reward the Lady has three wins, two places and a show from 10 starts for $56,050.

Click here and scroll down to see the records of all 187 sales selections I made in 2010.

Reward the Lady nabs tips' fifth win in last six starts

A four-race winning streak for my 2010 juvenile sales selections went by the wayside Friday afternoon when Knows How to Rock settled for third in allowance company at Ellis Park. But Reward the Lady got the class right back on track Friday evening by drawing off to win by four lengths in state-bred claiming company at Pennsylvania's Presque Isle Downs.

Scott Speith and Reward the Lady on Friday night pressured the early pace set by Kristina's Mark and So to Love, with 6/5 favorite Second Appeal close behind. The early leaders faded, but while Second Appeal stayed on to finish second, she was no match for Reward the Lady, who collected her second win in six lifetime starts by covering 5.5 furlongs on the Tapeta track in 1:06.43.

Reward the Lady, a dark bay filly by Grand Reward-You're a Lady, by Youmadeyourpoint, was bred in Pennsylvania by E & D Enterprises and the Grand Reward Syndicate. She is owned by Touchdown Stable and trained by J. Michael Rogers.

I shortlisted Reward the Lady for a bargain-seeking client while working my only sale thus far as a hired bloodstock advisor. She sold for just $6,000 as the first horse through the ring at Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training at Timonium, Md., last May. With two wins and a place from six starts, she has now earned $35,420.

Click here to follow all 187 of my 2010 sales selections.