Lady Sabelia continues winning ways at Laurel in Barbara Fritchie

Lady Sabelia continues winning ways at Laurel in Barbara

Fritchie

Track announcer Dave Rodman exclaimed "she loves it here" as Lady Sabelia

(Majestic Warrior) crossed the wire in Saturday's $300,000

Barbara Fritchie H. (G2) at Laurel Park, leading wire to wire for her fourth

consecutive win over the track. The five-year-old mare has posted six of her

eight career wins at Laurel.

Owned and bred by Frank and Ginny Wright, Lady Sabelia was making her first

graded attempt for trainer Robin Graham and regular rider Horacio Karamanos.

"She has been getting better from a year and a half ago," Graham said. "She

is cool and relaxed about everything. Whatever you ask her to do she does. This

one is good for the home team."

Lady Sabelia sprinted to the fore at the start, establishing an opening

quarter in :22 3/5 while being chased by Princess Violet (Officer).

She reached the half-mile point in :45 3/5 with a two-length advantage and

spurted away into the stretch drive, leading by 3 1/2 lengths after six furlongs

in 1:10. Princess Violet narrowed the gap slightly during the final furlong but

was never a serious threat to the winner, who completed seven panels in 1:23 on

the fast track.

"She has natural speed," Karamanos said. "She wanted to go to front. There

was nothing to cover me up so I let her go. She took the lead so nice and easy

and had plenty left at wire. 

"She breezed so nice and comfortable last week in :58 that I was expecting

big things today. This is special for me and Maryland today."

"I don't give Horacio a lot of instructions," Graham added. "He knows not to

get into a fight with her."

Off as the 5-2 co-second choice among 10 rivals, Lady Sabelia paid $7.20 to

win after scoring by 1 1/2 lengths.

Princess Violet, who was also 5-2 in her first start of 2015, easily held

second, a length better than 65-1 outsider Expression (Invasor) in third. Grade

1 heroine Sam's Sister (Brother Derek), favored at 2-1 following back-to-back

graded wins at Santa Anita, wound up a non-threatening fourth.

Bred in Kentucky, Lady Sabelia hails from the winning Terra Maria (Citidancer)

and the dark bay counts multiple stakes-placed Jen's Revenge (Stephen Got Even)

as a half-sister.

With Saturday's $180,000 payday, Lady Sabelia has now earned $518,465 from a

14-8-2-3 record. She notched her first stakes victory in the 2013 Safely Kept at

Laurel Park, and captured the December 6 Willa on the Move and January 3 What a

Summer locally as well.

"She only ran four times last year because of an eye problem," Graham

explained. "Whenever she is off that is why. We haven't thought past

today...wanted to see where this goes. I will consider taking her to bigger

things."

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