In the words of track announcer Ken Middleton, a "ginormous" effort from two-year-old pacing filly Scarlett Hanover gave her the victory in her $250,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final.
Three fillies vied for the early lead, with public choice Scarlett Hanover (Ed Hensley) the first leader. Andra Day (Doug McNair) was asked to forge on to the front, and she got there for a few strides as Scarlett Hanover didn't want the pocket behind that longshot. He Hensley did pocket up behind second choice Voelz Delight, who was on the move down the backside and cleared to the top after a :55.1 half. Voelz Delight looked strong on top through a 1:23 third panel and turning for home appeared as though she'd hold off the favourite from the pocket. As the two fillies matched strides down the lane, Scarlett Hanover managed to find just enough to hit the wire first, a head in front of Voelz Delight. Best Keepsake (Paul MacDonell) closed well for the show spot.
"Very impressive," said driver Hensley about his filly's effort. "I wasn't sure how the race was going to go because there wasn't many leavers but we still got down there pretty fast. Dougie was out there and I had a hard time letting Dougie go, and when I got back to the front she was still full of herself but she was used already once. Then Sylvain came hard so I had to let him go. I followed him and around the turn I pulled her out and Sylvain opened up a little bit, and I wasn't sure if I was going to catch him. I gave her a little breather there and then came back out...she is tough.
"She's actually filled out a little bit and she's going to be a really good three-year-old filly...she has gotten better every start."
Scarlett Hanover (Bettors Delight - Sammys Magic Girl) is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, of Fredericktown,Penn., Frank Baldachino of Clarksburg, N.J., J And T Silva Purnel And Libby of Delray Beach,Fl. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Penn. The win is the sixth in 12 starts for Scarlett Hanover, lifting her bankroll to $378,640, and it marks the first Super Final for Ed and his wife, trainer Ashleigh Hensley.
"This is awesome. We won the Battle of the Belles and that was unbelievable...we're pumped, couldn't be happier."
This race was one of eight Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals contested on Saturday, Oct. 17. Check out the rest of the recaps in the OSS Super Final News Centre.