Patience paid off for owners James and Jane Fraser on Saturday has their homebred filly Muir Woods drew away from the field in the $50,000 Tomboy Stakes at River Downs. "The farm where we sent her to be broken didn't think much of her as a young horse, so we didn't push her to race at two and just let her grow into herself," spoke longtime Ohio-breeder and Cincinnati native James Fraser. "As she started to train as a three-year-old I got a call from trainer Tim Hamm and he said, 'I think we've got something here' - and I guess we do."
The daughter of Forest Camp used her long-striding action to circle the field turning for home on a muddy track and took the lead at the furlong marker to draw away by 3 3/4 lengths under jockey Mario Madrid. "We had just the perfect trip sitting off the speed and she just carried me home easy when I asked." said Madrid.
Muir Woods had made only one previous lifetime start when she set the pace in a 1 1/16 race at Keeneland on April 21 to tire to fifth. The Ohio-bred captured the 1 1/16 Tomboy in 1:48.49. The race was originally scheduled to be run on the turf, but morning rains forced it to be moved to the main track. Muir Woods paid $7.40, $5.40 and $3.60. Pacesetting Willa Wando returned $3.60 and $2.60 with favored School Lass having a payoff of $2.60.