Trainer Stites Saddles 2,000th Winner

Trainer Flint Stites reached his 2,000th milestone Nov. 20 as North and South Stable's Justkissmygrits drew off to win the first race at Penn National Race Course by seven lengths. His record was further improved Friday when Baywood Farm's Flattering Ruby won the sixth race to give him a 2,001-2,019-2,072 record with earnings of $32,647,834. Ricardo Chiappe rode Justkissmygrits to victory, and Jacqueline Davis guided Flattering Ruby. Stites, a former veterinarian, has been training since 1991, according to Equibase statistics. His training career began to pick up in 1994 when he gave up his equine practice to condition racehorses full time. During his career, the Mid-Atlantic-based trainer has conditioned stakes winners All Giving, whose seven black-type wins include the Maryland Million Distaff Handicap and who earned over half a million dollars while trained by Stites; Pocket Patch, a two-time winner of the Maryland Million Turf Stakes; Last True Love, the winner of the 2019 Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Distaff Stakes and multiple stakes-placed this year; and My Sister Sue, who won stakes at Monmouth Park and Laurel Park. Stites has been ranked in the top 100 trainer standings by wins 13 times since 2000, including 2017-19.