by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — She roamed the fences during her first year of eligibility, but now that Tryst has had the necessary time to fill out her frame, she will be out on the racetrack doing her job.

“We had a pair of them (yearlings) and she seemed like the better of the two,” explained her owner/trainer Alexander “Bob” Rice, Jr. “But she came up sore shortly before we were going to qualify her as a 2-year-old, so we turned her out. She trained like a nice horse when we brought her back at three, but we didn’t know until we put her behind the gate. That’s when you could see something click.”

The 4-year-old daughter of The Panderosa-Society Ann has earned $73,319 from 21 career starts with six wins, five second place finishes and two thirds. The filly vanquished all of her foes in her first three pari-mutuel miles and hit the line third as the favorite in one of last year’s $12,500 Tender Loving Care legs at the Meadowlands in only her fourth career start, but Tryst did not get her picture taken again until last month at Dover Downs.

Lisa photo

Tryst (#1) was a neck winner over Summer Snow in the White Ruffles final on Jan. 27 at the Meadowlands.

From her first four races this year, the mare has already lowered her lifetime mark from 1:54.3 to 1:52.4 (in capturing the $43,500 White Ruffles final at the Meadowlands), collected three victories and one runner-up finish and has made $37,975 which is already more ($35,344) than her entire season last year.

“We bought her as a yearling,” Rice, a 36-year-old resident of Townsend, Delaware, said. “I couldn’t go to Kentucky (the 2008 Lexington Selected Sale), so my friend Ross McKinnon went down and got her. All I did was pay for her.

“We liked her breeding, especially the mare she was out of,” he continued. “Society Ann (p,4,1:53.1, $319,414 and her first foal a full sister to Tryst, Debupante p,5,1:54.f, $127,945) was a good racemare; this filly was a bargain at $5,000.”

Rice thinks there are several reasons for the mare’s success.

“She wants to race and beat everybody which is great,” he said. “She seems to be best from off the pace. She’s got speed, but she can sit and come late. She circled the field in her one White Ruffles leg and she got a perfect second over trip in the final.

“She’s also real handy,” Rice continued. “She’s such a nice mare that she’s a sweetheart to drive; you can race her any way you want, too. You don’t ever have to worry about her getting too hot and the driver can race her however he needs to.”

The filly’s best performances seem to be at Dover Downs and under the lights of the Meadowlands. All six of her victories have come on these two surfaces. Although she has also raced nine times at Harrah’s Chester, she has yet to enter their winner’s circle.

Return trips to Delaware and Pennsylvania are in store for this year’s campaign, but the remaining details have yet to be determined.

“Unfortunately the White Ruffles was the last series she is eligible to for now, so she will go in overnights at Dover Downs and then she’ll probably be heading back to Chester when they open. She’s really a sweetheart to be around and like a big pet.”