McFlirty and Brad Hanners kept up their winning ways Saturday, April 11 in the third round of the Future Stars series at Hoosier Park
. The duo turned in a quick performance, stopping the timer in a new lifetime mark of 1:53.2.
Starting from Post 7, Hanners opted to stay out of the early quest for the top spot as Lilasue and Roger Cullipher took over by the quarter-mile marker in a time of :26.4. However, Giveittoemstraight and Jason Dillander were on their way to the top, grabbing control down the backstretch for a short stint before Hanners had McFlirty in full gear on the outside, reaching the halfway mark in :57.0.
McFlirty’s time on the lead was short-lived. Andy Shetler and First To Cruise became the fourth leader of the race just after the halfway point. Everyone stayed in position until the stretch arrived.
In the stretch, McFlirty tipped off of the back of First To Cruise and sprinted home with a final quarter in :27.2, winning the race by a comfortable three and three-quarter length advantage. Giveittoemstraight chased the leader home in second while First To Cruise held inside for third.
“She (McFlirty) is really a nice filly and I really like driving her,” said Hanners. “She’s like a Cadillac. She’s very versatile and has a lot of speed. She is okay sitting in a hole, but I like it better when she’s on the front. In the stretch, she was full of pace, and I just let her go.”
McFlirty, now on a four-race win streak, is trained by Bobby Reeser and owned by Bonnie Benson of Lewes, Delaware. The three-year-old daughter of McArdle is now six for seven lifetime with earnings of more than $20,000.
In the second division of the Future Stars Series, Watts Of Money and leading trainer Don Eash rounded the track for their second straight win in the event. The three-year-old Kilowatt filly earned the victory in a time of 1:56.0. The three-horse photo placed Day Lilly Parkway and Travis Seekman in second over Miss Sandy Beach and Jay Cross in third. Watts Of Money now has two wins in three outings for 2009.
(Hoosier Park)