p,4, 1:49.1 ($3,024,304)
Bettors Delight – Town Pro – Big Towner
2009 summary: 17 – 7 – 3– 4 ($371,052)
Trainer: Jeffrey Stafford
Drivers: Yannick Gingras, Paul MacDonell
Owner: White Birch Farm (NJ)
Breeder: White Birch Farm (NJ)
With each passing season, Darlins Delight continues to enhance her reputation as one of the best female pacers ever.
The classy daughter of Bettors Delight - Town Pro showed no signs of slowing down in 2009 and remained near the top of another competitive older female division.
It took her only three starts to notch her first stakes victory, a 1:50.2 effort in the $123,000 Overbid Series final at The Meadowlands.
She later won a Betsy Ross elimination at Chester Downs before finishing second in the $250,000 final. She also captured a Roses Are Red elimination in mid-July at Mohawk Racetrack and went on to finish third in the $373,600 final.
Darlins Delight also managed third-place finishes in both the $331,500 Breeders Crown and the $127,000 Artiscape.
Lifetime, she has 34 wins and 64 on-the-board finishes from 75 career starts. She is also part of harness racing’s exclusive triple millionaire’s club.
p,5, 1:49 ($766,415)
Camluck – J CS Nathalie – Flight Of Fire
2009 summary: 31 – 17-7-2 ($622,420)
Trainer: Pat Fletcher
Drivers: Randy Waples, Tony Kerwood
Owners: John and Mary Lamers (ON)
Breeders: John and Mary Lamers (ON)
Dreamfair Eternal established herself as one of the premier older pacing mares on the continent in 2009.
The well-bred daughter of Camluck - J Cs Nathalie (making her a half sister to millionaire Dreamfair Vogel) had shown flashes of brilliance prior to this season, but after overcoming some minor health issues she elevated her game to an entirely new level.
In her first try at the Open level, Dreamfair Eternal posted an off-the-pace victory. It would be the first of 12 wins in this class during the campaign and just one of 17 victories overall, making her one of the winningest horses in all of North America.
Her success was not just limited to local competition. She took her lifetime mark of 1:49 in winning a Breeders Crown prep at The Meadowlands on August 15. A week later, she rallied from far back to finish a close fourth in the $331,500 Breeders Crown final.
Dreamfair Eternal’s crowning achievement came on the evening of July 25 at Mohawk Racetrack when she scored a 1:49.2 victory in the $373,600 Roses Are Red final.
Who do you think will win? If you haven't voted yet, head over to the 2009 O'Brien poll.