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After wintering in Louisiana, Hot Jelly Jam proved once again that she'll be a force in the filly and mare allowance ranks in Nebraska by winning the $7,000 feature race Friday at Fonner Park.
The 8-year-old mare, owned by Mike and Mitzi Benson of Sioux City, Iowa, and trained by Dan Coughlin, laid third off of a hot pace duel between High Desert Honey and Swedes Fever. The two frontrunners carved out the first four furlongs of the six-furlong race in a quick 47 seconds flat. Fonner Park's leading rider Yuri Yaranga then moved Hot Jelly Jam up to challenge, and the veteran mare cruised past and went on to post a five-length win over Swedes Fever with a late running Forti Si placing third.
Hot Jelly Jam, sent off as the favorite in the race, returned $3.80 to win while the Hot Jelly Jam/Swedes Fever exacta paid $33.40. The trifecta with Forty Si running third paid $381.20.
The Bensons are new to the racing business, as Hot Jelly Jam was the first horse they purchased. They now have a five-horse stable, including Okie Dozer, who finished second in the Budweiser-Tondi Handicap last weekend.
"We really like horse-racing, win, lose, or draw," Mike Benson said.
Veteran trainer Dan Coughlin was full of praise for his new owners.
"They're a breath of fresh air for racing," Coughlin said about the Bensons. "It doesn't matter where we're running, they're there."
Coughlin felt that the competition Hot Jelly Jam faced at Delta Downs in Louisiana prepared his mare well for the race.
"The last race we ran, we ran third to a horse that went to New Orleans and had five different trainers try and claim her for $16,000," Coughlin said. "We were running against some good ones down there."
Coughlin did have an equipment change for Hot Jelly Jam this year.
"We took the blinkers off her in Louisiana," Coughlin said. "She seemed to race better without them on."
Hoofprints
* Leading rider Yuri Yaranga posted four wins on the day. Yaranga scored on More Run in the third race, Noble Reward in the sixth, and Another Diamond in the tenth, along with Hot Jelly Jam.
* Leading trainer David Anderson won three races on the day as he teamed up with Yaranga on Noble Reward and Another Diamond and scored with long shot Lee's Line in the eighth race.
* Marvin Johnson's stable visited the winner's circle twice as More Run won the third race and Miss Tricky narrowly won race seven.
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