On Saturday, March 15, 2025, trainer Kibbeisha Little marked an important milestone by securing her first win of the racing season. Her seven-year-old bay gelding, Rusty, triumphed in the sixth race.
This particular race was a Claiming event set for three-year-olds. It included local six-year-olds and older horses classified as non-winners of three, alongside imported six-year-olds and older classified as non-winners of two, competing over a distance of 5 furlongs on a straight track.
With jockey Shavon Townsend holding the reins, Rusty began the race by closely monitoring the competition. Early on, Basilicus (Dane Dawkins) and God of Love (Phillip Parchment) were locked in a fierce battle for the lead. As the race neared its climax and the horses approached the dummy rails, God of Love managed to pull ahead, seemingly poised for victory.
However, in a surprising twist, Rusty unleashed a powerful late rally, overcoming God of Love to secure the victory by a margin of ¾ lengths. God of Love finished in second place, with Magical Mood (Ian Spence) rounding out the top three. Rusty’s winning time was clocked at 1:01.4, with impressive splits of 23.2 and 48.1.
