Odds On Hail Mary blazed home in 1:49, matching the track record for sophomore filly pacers in Saturday’s (June 10) Pennsylvania Sires Stake at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. When C Is For Cookie captured the second division of the $146,946 Adios Betty, it gave trainer Linda Toscano a stake sweep.
The lightly raced Odds On Hail Mary never had won a stake before, but she moved confidently to the top at the quarter for Dave Palone. The daughter of Heston Blue Chip-Mach Some Noise shrugged off the first-over challenge from Hello Yes Hi and drew off to defeat Ginger Tree Coco by 4-1/2 lengths, with Square Deal third.
“I wasn’t thinking about records,” Palone said. “She was well within herself. She was bouncing along there, comfortable, and I never had a nervous moment because she was in the bit letting me know she was full of herself.”
Her time equaled the mark of Allstar Rating and Blue Diamond Eyes. It also lowered the previous stake record of 1:49.2 established by Philly Hanover in 2019. Odds On Racing campaigns Odds On Hail Mary.
As the daughter of Hall of Fame broodmare Sweet Future and a half sister to world champions Sweet Lou and Bettor Sweet, C Is For Cookie appeared destined for early success. But she missed her entire freshman season with an ankle injury. This year, she’s on her way to fulfilling that promise, with seven wins in 10 starts and earnings of $126,734 for owner-breeder Birnam Wood Farms.
On Saturday, she moved first up from fourth for Aaron Merriman, put away the leader, Always B Naughty, and held off the late charge of Daffled Hanover to down her by a head in a career-fastest 1:50.1. My Little Captain earned show.
“I know she maybe doesn’t have the credentials some of the others in here have, but she’d won six races this year,” Merriman said. “This mare has a great family, and if you don’t have to pull until after the five-eighths, it’s worth giving them a shot. Her gait was a little bumpy, so I had to drive on her and keep the bit in her mouth at the same time.”
$60,000 PA Stallion Series — 3-Year-Old Filly Pacers
Calliope Hanover, Hungry Lizzo and My Hungry Girl won splits in Saturday’s sub-feature. Chris Page fashioned a stake double behind Hungry Lizzo and My Hungry Girl while Stay Hungry enjoyed a stallion sweep.
Calliope Hanover was asked to go much faster than she’d ever gone before, but the daughter of Stay Hungry-Castaway Hanover was up to the task, edging Nevertellmetheodds by a head in the Lightning Lane in 1:52. Falana Hanover completed the ticket.
“I was committed to the inside,” said Mike Wilder, who drove Calliope Hanover for trainer Brad Buxton and owners Joellen Buxton, Harold Altman, Jr. and Vavlin Racing LLC. “Before I even reached the Lightning Lane, I knew I would have to go left. She’s quick as a cat off the gate, and Brad has her rigged well. She hasn’t seen those kinds of numbers before, but she did it like she’s been doing it all her life.”
Merriman and Page each piloted three winners on the 14-race card.
TOM ‘MAYHEM’ SVRCEK ROMPS BY 9-1/2 IN MEADOWS GLADA TROT
Tom “Mayhem” Svrcek and Whiskey Lindy seized the lead from post 4, then blew away the field to score by 9-1/2 lengths in Saturday’s $10,000 leg of the Great Lakes Amateur Driving Association (GLADA) Trot at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.
Svrcek easily dismissed the uncovered challenge of Floyd “The Roper” Rhodes (Back Door Man) to open up 4 lengths at the top of the stretch. From there, it was only a question of how much and how fast. The 9-year-old Cantab Hall-Rum Boogie gelding stopped the timer in 1:55.4.
“I Dream Of Jeannie” Rastetter (driving Gee Wizz George) won the scramble for second while Stephen “You’re Never Too” Oldford (Sumbodygetdisfool) and Devan “The Purple Princess” Miller (Euro Gap) completed the ticket.
“It looked easy, but it never is,” Svrcek said. “There were a lot of good horses in there, but a couple made breaks. It really worked out well for me. When he gets on the front end, he gets real brave and wants to go on. So that was kind of the garden spot for him. He’s not always consistent, but when he’s right, he’s a really nice horse.”
Bryce Brocklehurst trains Whiskey Lindy, who now has banked $121,217, for Janet Collins and Svrcek.
Live racing at The Meadows resumes Wednesday when the program features a $1,103.60 carryover in the Early Pentafecta (Race 4). First post is 12:45 p.m. (EDT).
(MSOA)