Claimer Lady Jila Notches First Stake

Getting better with age, six-year-old mare Lady Jila looks to have permanently graduated from the low claiming ranks this past Sunday at Arapahoe Park, by claiming the first stakes win of her 34-race career. Going off at 10-1, the Arizona-bred daughter of Jila took the $40,000 Columbine Stakes, run over a 1 1/16 miles on the dirt.  It was win number 14 for her lifetime, and nudged her purse earnings just over the $100,000 mark. She has five seconds and four thirds on her profile as well.

Lady Jila all out to reclaim the lead

As recently as last season, Lady Jila had been running for a $5,000 claiming tag, but Sunday was her second straight in-the-money finish in stakes company, having got up for third in the Molly Brown. Under jockey Michael Ziegler, Lady Jila broke well in the Columbine, and held the lead under a pressured pace to the top of the stretch. Passed by favorite Ize In Trouble, who found open track right when she needed it, Lady Jila showed lots of determination to dig in and re-rally in deep stretch to get her head in front at the wire.

Trainer Stivers just misses the hat-trick

It was a disappointing loss for the barn of Ize In Trouble’s trainer Brian Stivers, who was seeking his third straight stakes win at Arapahoe this meet , after his colt Oneotwo captured the Inaugural Stakes in May, and then the George Wafer Memorial in early July.  Ize In Trouble was coming off an eight-length score in the Zenyatta Stakes, June 23, 2013 at Ruidoso Downs. Third-place finisher in the Columbine, Lady Contender, stalked the pace throughout while racing three wide, but couldn’t find another gear to track down the leaders in the stretch.