O'Brien Profiles - Three-Year-Old Pacing Fillies

With the 2008 O'Brien Awards less than two weeks away, the SC website will shine the spotlight on the finalists in each O'Brien division

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Today we profile the three-year-old pacing filly division.

CHANCEY LADY - The small but speedy daughter of Camluck - Art Of Design followed a terrific rookie season with an even better three-year-old campaign for owner Niele Jiwan of Burnaby, B.C.

Chancey Lady started the season under the care of trainer Casie Coleman and won three of her first five starts, including a 1:51.1 upset victory in the $733,031 Fan Hanover Final on June 14 at Mohawk Racetrack. In that event she knocked off some of the top sophomore pacing fillies on the continent.

Following the Fan Hanover the filly was moved into the care of John Pentland and promptly won her first two starts for the new barn including an OSS Gold Final - one of two she captured for the new conditioner.

She finished a disappointing tenth in the $300,000 OSS Super Final at Woodbine Racetrack but showed her mettle by bouncing back with a sharp victory in her Breeders Crown Elimination on November 22 at The Meadowlands for American-based trainer Richard Bilach.

Her second last start of the year was an impressive 1:50.3 lifetime best at Chester Downs in Pennsylvania. She surpassed the $1 million mark in career earnings with her nine wins on the season.

VOELZ HANOVER - The daughter of Astreos - Vassar Hanover was one of the main cogs in the operation of trainer Ben Baillargeon, who enjoyed a career-best season in 2008.

Voelz Hanover started off the season by testing North America’s best in the Fan Hanover Eliminations at Mohawk Racetrack. She finished fifth in that race and then a disappointing tenth after making a break in stride in the $75,000 consolation.

As all top performers do, she overcame that early adversity and seemed to get better and stronger as the season wore on.

Voelz Hanover finished second in the $179,300 SBOA Stakes on August 22 at Mohawk and, in early October, took a $30,000 Series Quebec Elite division in Montreal - a race that kicked off a four-race winning streak.

Her biggest win came in the $300,000 OSS Super Final on November 15 at Woodbine Racetrack. She wrapped up the campaign with six wins and $410,541 in purse winnings for owner Richard Berthiaume of Pointe-Aux-Trembles, Quebec.