Kip the Distance vaults Neolithic toward earnings milestone

In her first 20 starts, Kip the Distance raced three times at Delta Downs, resulting in second, third and fourth-place finishes. The 3-year-old Neolithic filly owned, bred and trained by Angel Rodriguez ended that streak with a wire-to-wire score under Jose Lopez in a $48,000 allowance optional claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Lopez sent Kip the Distance to the lead and she lulled her rivals to sleep through less-than-sizzling fractions, then held off Lady Dreamer in the race to the wire by a head. She paid $13.20, was clocked in 1:20.48, and earned a check for $22,800. That increased her career bank account to $203,041 on a record of 4-4-3 in 21 starts.

Kip the Distance became Neolithic’s eighth runner to surpass $200,000 in earnings, and left the stallion less than $60,000 short of reaching his best year, 2024, when he hit for $2,884,398.