Mare's latest victory overcomes foul claim, closes in on Ohio winnings record.
NORTH RANDALL, Ohio -- The duel between Pay The Man and Slides Choice came off as expected in the $50,000 J. William Petro Memorial Handicap for fillies and mares at Thistledown on Saturday. Pay The Man, with jockey Ricardo Feliciano on board, was a neck winner, but had to survive a foul claim.
After just missing with Slides Choice, jockey Jason Lumpkins claimed interference during a torrid stretch run. Lumpkins said Pay The Man came out on his horse and was well off the rail, and that made the difference. Feliciano admitted Pay The Man ran wide in the stretch, but the judges agreed that it didn't bother Slides Choice.
Rail birds were looking for an upset early in the race, as Herestotemperance fired out of the starting gate to take the early lead. Pay The Man took over at the 5/16-mile mark, however, and managed to hold a half-length lead over Slides Choice all the way to the deep stretch.
Favored Pay The Man paid $4, 2.40, 2.20 after clocking 1:45.3 in the 1 1/6-mile event. Slides Choice paid $3.20, 2.60 and Honey Be Fleet, almost seven lengths back of the leaders, returned $2.80 for third. Owned by the Pyrite Stables, Pay The Man is trained by Miguel Angel Feliciano, who was ill on Saturday morning and rushed to an area hospital.
The race is named after the late chairman of the Ohio State Racing Commission, and it was the third consecutive win for 6-year-old Pay The Man. Slides Choice, a four-year-old, had beaten her in the $100,000 Best Of Ohio Distaff last fall, but never in the Petro Handicap.
Pay The Man pushed her career winnings to $582,140 with the $30,000 winner's cut. The total is just $1,890 short of topping Tougaloo, who raced for Akron owner Landon Knight about 20 years ago, as the richest mare in Ohio thoroughbred racing history.