Lady Simpatia gets the lead – and keeps on going

Among Florida’s current top 25 stallions, only five have hit 50 percent or better in the winners-to-starters column so far this season. Two of them are Pleasant Acres sires, Ride On Curlin, who has had two winners over the last two days, and Neolithic.

Lady Simpatia made it 12 winners from 24 starters for Ride On Curlin at Delaware Park yesterday with Angel Suarez able to accomplish something none of the other riders in the 4-year-old filly’s first 10 races could – he put her on the lead by herself.

The filly bred by the highly successful partnership of Joe and Helen Barbazon and Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson had opted for the lead several times in her previous races, but had never been able to do what she did yesterday on the grass – open a two-length lead at the first quarter. By putting up fractions of :22.06 and :44.87 nobody ever got close and Lady Simpatia broke her maiden in :57.02 for the five furlongs. She won by two, paid $32.40 and earned her best check – $12,000 – and her best ‘E’ speed figure – 70.