by Dan Conway, USTA Web Newsroom Correspondant

This is getting to be a pretty regular routine. Go to the front and wire the field by a couple of lengths. Even when they handicap you way on the outside the story is the same.

Eight mares faced the gate in the $12,500 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace on Friday night at Northville Downs. Like all horse races, it was going to be a horse race, but the conclusion looked pretty predictable. The bettors favored Midnight Jewel at 20 cents on the dollar.

Leaving from the outside, Larry Stalbaum rushed his great mare right to the front and let everybody just follow along. Another Keystone Raider Michigan-bred, Catcha Raider, was away second in the hands of Peter Wrenn. Beach Hop and Eric Goodell were sitting third as Midnight Jewel passed the quarter in :28.1.

A very strong favorite in her three races and three victories this season, Midnight Jewel, out of the mare Anorexia, by the old Dream Maker, powered down to the half in :57.3. At this point, Michael Micallef brought Jayna Bird out from fourth and started to grind it out on the outside. Jayna Bird won 11 of 16 last season, but she has yet to score in four starts this year.

Rounding the clubhouse turn, Midnight Jewel continued to control the action while Jayna Bird moved up to third, a couple of lengths off the pace. At the three quarter pole in 1:26.4, Midnight Jewel was a length and a half ahead of Catcha Raider and more than two lengths up on Jayna Bird.

Entering the stretch, the distance between first and second was an expanding three lengths. Down the lane, Midnight Jewel, owned by her trainer Martin Rudicil and her breeder, Linda Marckel, just rolled away from the field to win in 1:56.1. Catcha Raider finished second, five and a half lengths back, and Jayna Bird was third, 10 lengths off the winner.

Midnight Jewel’s lifetime bankroll now stands at $581,846.