Fair Grounds: Instant Style Beats Joyful Victory

John Wieczorek’s Instant Style, unhurried early, rallied boldly when set down for the drive and was up to best Fox Hill Farm’s favored Joyful Victory by three-quarters of a length in Wednesday’s $53,000 Fair Grounds feature, an allowance optional $62,500 claiming event for fillies and mares at about one mile over the Stall-Wilson turf course.

The winner, trained by Bobby Springer and ridden by James Graham, paid $21.40, $6.40 and $3.40, toured the distance over firm going in 1:40.99 and increased her career earnings to $154,410 with her fourth lifetime win in 28 career starts.

Joyful Victory, favored in last year’s Grade I Kentucky Oaks after winning Oaklawn’s Grade II Fantasy and Grade III Honeybee Stakes, was always well placed, could not withstand the winner late but courageously gained the place by a head over Hal Snowden Jr.’s Bet On the Blue.

Making her turf debut and away from competition since the Grade I Coaching Club Oaks at Saratoga July 23, Joyful Victory returned $2.80 and $2.20, while Bet On the Blue paid $2.60 to show.

Bobby Joe Hammer’s Miss Heather Lee made the pace with splits of 26.46 and 52.07 before tiring to fifth.

Racing resumes Thursday at Fair Grounds with a 10-race program beginning at 12:40 p.m.