Put On A Show Favoured In Betsy Ross
Put On A Show brings a four-race win streak to Sunday afternoon’s $100,000 Betsy Ross Invitational for pacing mares at Harrah’s Philadelphia
. In her only previous appearance at the track, Put On A Show won the 2010 Valley Forge in a stakes-record 1:50.1. She was named the sport’s best three-year-old pacing filly that season.
“She’s doing well,” trainer Chris Ryder said about Put On A Show, who has won four of seven races this year after missing all of 2011 because of knee surgery. “She got some races under her belt and picked up a few dollars; it’s just a better position to be in. She was off a year and a half and now I think she’s getting back to where she was.”
Put On A Show, the 5-2 morning line favourite in the Betsy Ross, has won 23 of 32 career races and earned $2 million. She is owned by Richard and Joanne Young and Craig Henderson.
The five-year-old mare began this season with a ninth-place finish in the opening round of the Overbid Series at the Meadowlands, but was third in the second round and runner-up to Anndrovette in the $101,750 final. She then went to Woodbine Racetrack, where she won four consecutive Opens.
“She had a few minor issues in the Overbid, tied up a little bit, bled a little bit – all that tough stuff,” Ryder said. “Everything right now is fine. She had four good races up there (in Canada).”
George Brennan will drive Put On A Show in the Betsy Ross because Brian Sears, who handled the lines earlier this year, will be in Sweden to race trotter Arch Madness in the Elitlopp.
Anndrovette, who won last year’s Betsy Ross and received the 2011 O’Brien Award and Dan Patch Award for best older female pacer, is the 3-1 second-choice in this year’s eight-horse invitational.
“I think they’re going to go pretty fast,” Ryder said. “It’ll be warm Sunday afternoon. Everybody’s going to be looking for some type of position, to be a little handy, and I guess we’re going to be doing the same thing.”
$100,000 Betsy Ross Invitational
1. Stacked Deck - George Napolitano, Jr.
2. Naughtytiltheend - Andy Miller
3. Anndrovette - Tim Tetrick
4. Ginger And Fred - Yannick Gingras
5. Higher And Higher - Daryl Bier
6. Put On A Show - George Brennan
7. Lightning Treasure - Daniel Dube
8. Royal Cee Cee N - Ron Pierce
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.