Millar Farms homebred Chantilly stayed unbeaten with a 1:50.2 crowning in the $532,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies on Saturday night, Sept. 21 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Chantilly raced unhurried in fifth to a :27 first quarter carved by a headstrong The Last Martini (Doug McNair), who stayed to the metal approaching a :55.2 half. Driver James MacDonald activated Chantilly midway up the backstretch and found cover to the far turn from Cant See Me (Bob McClure), who circled a tiring Nice Buns (David Miller) to race in third.

Chantilly perched onto the helmet moving to three-quarters in 1:23.3 and erupted down the homestretch. MacDonald stayed poised in the bike as Chantilly carried him over the line by an expanding 3-1/4 lengths from The Last Martini, holding onto second from a game Cant See Me. Millie May Hanover (Todd McCarthy) finished fourth and Cowgirl anover (Scott Zeron) was fifth.

“Ever since this one's come around, she gives you chills, just knowing you get to sit behind her every week,” said MacDonald after the race. “And the trip worked out great. And then when I moved her, she just exploded.

“Nick [Gallucci] had asked me before, like, I could tell he was nervous, but he just said, ‘What are you thinking?’ And I said, ‘I think we got a lot of options. We can do whatever we want. We're in a good spot and I think we just take what the race gives us and see what happens.’ And it worked out great.”

Nick Gallucci trains Chantilly, a daughter of Big Jim and Shiraz Seelster who now has $541,000 on her card from seven starts, all wins.

“I'm always pessimistic usually training down, but she always showed enough, especially when we started training in the bikes. I was starting to get excited about her at around the start of June; I figured that we had a pretty nice filly on our hands.

“I had quiet confidence,” said Gallucci of his chances in this race. “I figured the only way she'd get beat is if she beat herself. And luckily, that didn't happen and James gave her a great trip. She did what she had to do and just keeps winning and just enjoying it.”

Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, Chantilly paid $2.50 to win.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(With files from Woodbine)