p,2, 1:51.1f ($840,926)
Western Hanover – Fanciful Hanover – Artsplace
2009 summary: 12 – 10-1-1 ($840,926)
Trainers: George Teague, Brenda Teague
Drivers: Brian Sears, Jim Morrill Jr, Dave Palone, Corey Callahan
Owners: George Teague Inc. (DE), Theodore Gewertz (NY), Only Money Inc. (DE)
Breeders: Emerald Highlands Farm (OH), W J Sprow (KY)
If you looked up the word consistent in the dictionary, you just might find a picture of Fancy Filly beside it. The daughter of Western Hanover - Fanciful Hanover never finished worse than third in 12 trips postward during her outstanding rookie campaign. She was North America’s leading money winning freshman filly of 2009 and all of her starts were stakes events.
The $15,000 Lexington yearling purchase was a product of the high-powered George Teague stable of racing and was an instant hit, winning her first career start by four lengths in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event at The Meadows.
Her only two career losses came when a rally from ninth fell half a length short in the $810,300 Shes A Great Lady Final at Mohawk Racetrack and when she got picked off in the final strides of her Breeders Crown elimination at Woodbine Racetrack.
Like a true champion, Fancy Filly bounced back the following week to cap off her rookie season with an impressive victory in the $628,178 Breeders Crown final - her richest payday of the season.
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p,2, 1:51.4 ($776,498)
Rocknroll Hanover – Stienams Place – Artsplace
2009 summary: 9 – 7-2-0 ($776,498)
Trainer: Chris Ryder
Drivers: Jody Jamieson, John Campbell
Owners: Richard Young (FL), Craig Henderson (IL)
Breeders: Green Mountain Farms (NJ), Kentuckiana, Farms Gen Par (KY)
The aptly-named Put On A Show did exactly that in 2009, winning seven of her nine starts, most coming against Grand Circuit competition.
The regally-bred daughter of Rocknroll Hanover - Stienams Place showed immense talent from the outset of her rookie campaign, winning her first career start at The Meadowlands in 1:54.3 over a sloppy track. She followed that up with an eye-catching win at Mohawk Racetrack where she turned in a phenomenal final quarter of :26.3 for a 1:52.3 mile.
She got her first taste of stakes competition next time out and won handily in a division of the Eternal Camnation Stakes. That set her up perfectly for the lucrative Shes A Great Lady Stakes and Put On A Show swept both her elimination and the $810,300 final at Mohawk to run her unbeaten streak to five.
The Chris Ryder trainee went on to win two more stakes events at the Red Mile in Lexington before suffering her only two losses of the season in her elimination and the final of the Breeders Crown at Woodbine where she finished a strong second both times.
Who do you think will win? If you haven't voted yet, head over to the 2009 O'Brien poll.