Suddenly, My Little Rosy became the favorite

While the decision-makers of racing contemplate whether Medina Spirit’s positive resulted from an injection or an application on a knee, or if it was a “heinous” crime when Linda Rice asked racing secretaries to let her know who has entered a race, My Little Rosy was the victim of one of the real problems in racing – monster drops in odds while the races are in progress.

It happened in the fifth race at Delaware Park yesterday, a one-mile and 70-yard test on the grass. The 5-year-old Handsome Mike mare was sitting on the tote board at odds of 4-1 as the field of 10 approached the gate. Leaving from the outside post, Erasmo Martinez hustled My Little Rosy to the front, and she opened up daylight in a :22.88 quarter. But as she was increasing her margin to 10 lengths heading to the half, the tote board read 8/5 – she was now the favorite .

Around the final turn, the second and third choices made a run at My Little Rosy, and caught her as they straightened out in the lane. From there to the wire any one of the three could have pulled it out, but My Little Rosy dug in gamely and prevailed in a head bob – by a head.

It marked her second victory in a row, and third in her last four starts after she had won just once in her first 23 races. She earned a check for $10,800, raising her career total to $58,732, and My Little Rosy received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 82, second best of her 27-race career.