Evil Lyn Conquers Hilltop

BALTIMORE, MD – Paradise Farms Corp and David Staudacher’s Evil Lyn earned her first stakes stripes by conquering Saturday’s $100,000 Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico.

Evil Lyn broke from post 5 under Horacio Karamanos as the 7/2 third choice in the field of 11 3-year-old fillies and settled into a mid-pack stalking position.

Hollywood Hoopla cleared the field from the far outside post and held solo command heading into the clubhouse turn before posting opening fractions of :23.94 and :48.50.

Caravel ranged up to take the lead halfway through the far turn but didn’t have much breathing room, as Evil Lyn was closely pursuing along her outside.

Taking over in mid-stretch, the Mike Maker trainee had just enough left to withstand the 5/2 favorite Vigilantes Way‘s late push and win by a 1/2-length while completing the mile-long yielding turf route in 1:42.25.

Caravel faded to third ahead of Lucky Jingle, while Secret Time rallied from near-last to finish fifth in her North American racing debut.

Ylikedis, American Giant, Shimmering, Hollywood Hoopla, Chart, and Madam Maclean completed the order of finish.

Princess Grace and Aunt Nadine were scratched.

Evil Lyn’s win was her first since being claimed for $40,000 out of a May victory and improved her overall record to 14-5-1-3 with $191,100 earned. The Wicked Strong filly had run strongly on a soft course in the past: she came within a neck of winning August’s Indiana Grand Stakes over a similarly yielding lawn.

Evil Lyn returned $9.40 to win, $4.80 to place, and $3.20 to show. Vigilantes Way brought back $4.20 to place and $2.80 to show, while Caravel paid $3.20 to show.