Maryland Thoroughbred

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That’s How I Roll rolls to victory in Maryland Filly Championship
Vision Racing LLC’s That’s How I Roll spurted to the lead early and kept that position the rest of the way to win the $50,000 Maryland Filly Championship Stakes, the headline event on the opening day of the 2010 racing season on Jan. 1 at Laurel Park.

The race was slated to be run on Dec. 19, as the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship Stakes, but that program was cancelled because of a blizzard. The race, restricted to Maryland-breds, was renamed and redrawn for 3-year-old fillies as all horses become officially one year older on the first day of the year.

Skipping over the muddy going in 1:32.37 for the seven and a half furlongs That’s How I Roll carried jockey Erick Rodriguez to a three and a quarter-length victory over 16-1 shot Star Anna. Spoken in French was third. Next in order of finish were Smart Tori, Tough Talkin Lady, Miss Speak, Popeye’s Lady, Favored Lady, Molly Molly Molly (the 5-2 favorite) and Jim’s Prospect.

“I was thinking about taking back but she wanted the lead,” Rodriguez said. “She got the lead so easily that when the other horses came at us she still had a lot left in the tank.”

That’s How I Roll is trained in New York by Kiaran McLaughlin. In three previous stakes tries her best effort was a runner-up finish in the Junior Championship Stakes at Monmouth Park last summer. She has made a total of seven starts, registering two wins and two additional placings for earnings of $76,506.

Bred by David and JoAnn Hayden’s Dark Hollow Farm in partnership with George Harris and Will DeBurgh, That’s How I Roll (by Speightstown) is the second foal from the stakes-winning mare Chatter Chatter (by Lost Soldier), an earner of $393,940. Her year-older full sister, Chattertown, was stakes-placed in 2009.

That’s How I Roll was purchased in the name of Vision Sales 2008 for $160,000 at the 2008 Keeneland September Yearling sale, from the consignment of Dark Hollow Farm, agent. She went through the ring again, at the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Florida February 2-year-olds in training sale, where she was purchased by Vision Racing 2009 for $235,000.

Vision is a sales and racing partnership enterprise based in Lexington, Ky., and operated by Brandon and Diannah Perry and John and Jill Stephens.