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It was girls just wanting to have fun in the Fonner Park's winner's circle as the six-year-old mare Sweetime First scored a win for owner/trainer Phyllis Brown and jockey Beth Butler.
The all-female combination won Friday's $9,500 feature race for fillies and mares running for a claiming price of $20,000 in a swift 1:13:40 for the six-furlong distance.
Butler had Sweetime First laying just off a fast pace set by Sweetpike and Nikki Nine on the backstretch and made a big move on the far turn to defeat Nikki Nine by 2 1/2 lengths at the wire. Sweetpike held on for third place.
"It was a wonderful ride by Beth," Brown said. "She rides so well for me."
Butler, the current leading rider at Fonner, said she listened carefully to Brown's pre-race instructions.
"Phyllis said, 'Just lay third, lay third,'" Butler said. "She (Sweetime First) pulled me up to the leaders earlier than I wanted, but when I asked her to run she just took off."
Overlooked by the bettors, Sweetime First paid $20 to win, while the Sweetime First-Nikki Nine exacta returned $57.
Brown, who received $6,364 for the win, has had the mare for some time.
"My late husband, Ted, and I owned her mom, What a Sweetime," Brown said. "He raised the horse and started her off. When my husband passed away I took over her training."
Brown, although elated with her win, said she was just looking for a similar spot to run her mare back in.
"We'll look for the next $20,000 claimer to fit her in," Brown said. "She does well at this level."
Hoofprints
* Marvin Johnson and Jesus Ponce teamed up to win two races on the day as the duo won with Metts Ready in the sixth race and Saint Bay in the eighth race.
* Yuri Yaranga won two races on the day as the veteran rider won back to back with War of Aces in the fourth race and Buckland Hollow in the fifth race.
* In addition to training a five-horse stable, Brown also works in the HPBA office at Fonner Park.
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