Mattwestern and Save My Dragon, a pair of Ron Burke trainees piloted by Dave Palone, swept Friday’s $12,500 divisions of The Meadows' Donna Dunn Memorial Pace, a series for three and four-year-old fillies and mares.
Mattwestern won her opening-leg division last week off a five-month layoff and, if anything, looked even more impressive in repeating. Though parked the first quarter, she sailed home without a serious challenge in a sharp 1:53.4, one and three-quarter lengths better than the pocket-sitting Emotional Wreck. Michabu finished third. Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC own the three-year-old daughter of Western Terror out of Mattonement.
Stuck with post nine, Save My Dragon had little trouble securing the early lead and scoring in 1:54.2. Lil Miss Snowflake rallied for second, three-quarters of a length back, with Iwannebejustlikeu third. The three-year-old daughter of Dragon Again and Save My Life races for Duke Sugg, Randall Van Hutchison and Robert V. Hutchison.
Palone (four) and Brett Miller (five) dominated Friday’s action, combining for nine victories on the 12-race card, while Burke notched four wins overall.
(The Meadows)