Idyllic Beach spent a lot of time near the front of a lot of races last year, but driver Yannick Gingras says the filly doesn’t need to be setting fractions to be successful.
“I really like her versatility,” said Gingras, who will drive the award-winning Idyllic Beach in Saturday’s $440,000 Fan Hanover Stakes for three-year-old female pacers at Mohawk Racetrack. “As a two-year-old maybe she was a little ahead of the other ones early on. I think I maybe got caught up racing on the front too many times and at the end of the year she was a little tired.
“But she can do it either way. She’s got huge speed, but you can use her anytime you want. If I can race her from behind I think she’s better chasing down horses. But if it’s a slow pace we’ll take it.”
Last year Idyllic Beach won eight of 14 races and never finished worse than third on her way to $647,678 in earnings for trainer Jimmy Takter and owners Christina Takter, John Fielding, Brixton Medical Inc., and Marvin Katz. She received Dan Patch and O’Brien awards for best two-year-old filly pacer in the U.S. and Canada.
Idyllic Beach led at the first quarter of six races last year and was in front at the half-mile point 11 times. Only once was she worse than second at the half, when she rallied from sixth to win her elimination for the She’s A Great Lady Stakes at Mohawk. A week later she captured the final to join her dam, Idyllic, as a winner of the event.
This year, Idyllic Beach is unbeaten in two starts. She won her Fan Hanover elimination by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:51. She was fourth at the half.
“She was very good,” said Gingras, who won the 2006 Fan Hanover with Darlin’s Delight. “She needed the start. I think it will do her a lot of good and she’ll be even better this week.”
Idyllic Beach, a daughter of stallion Somebeachsomewhere, is the 9-5 second choice on the morning line behind favourite Tequila Monday at 8-5. Takter has won four of the last six editions of the Fan Hanover, including last year’s with Pure Country. He has five Fan Hanover trophies overall.
Tequila Monday won her Fan Hanover elimination in 1:50.4 with Brian Sears driving for trainer Chris Oakes and owners Susan Oakes and Chuck Pompey. Tequila Monday has won seven of 10 career races, includinglast year’s New York Sire Stakes championship and this year’s Lismore Pace, and never finished worse than second. She has earned $308,578.
“The race could go a lot of different ways; I’m not really sure,” Gingras said, adding with a laugh, “If it’s a slow pace I’m racing on the front, if it’s a fast pace I’m racing from behind. So we’ll see how that goes.
“Tequila Monday was really good too last week, but I’m confident in my horse. She’s got a big-time shot in there.”
Following is the field for the Fan Hanover Stakes.
PP - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Line
1. Bettors Up - Doug McNair - Scott McEneny - 6/1
2. Al Mar Got A Fever - Trevor Henry - Mike Weller - 10/1
3. Shes Watching - Scott Zeron - Tony Alagna - 12/1
4. Idyllic Beach - Yannick Gingras - Jimmy Takter - 9/5
5. Tequila Monday - Brian Sears - Chris Oakes - 8/5
6. Action Majesty - Sylvain Filion - Gregg McNair - 15/1
7. Agent Q - David Miller - Aaron Lambert - 10/1
8. Future Headlines - Tim Tetrick - Colin Johnson - 25/1
9. Roaring To Go - Brett Miller - Kevin Lare - 15/1
10. Dancing Shadows K - Randy Waples - Rod Boyd - 25/1
To view the entries for Saturday's card at Mohawk or a free program, courtesy of TrackIT, click on one of the following links: Saturday Entries / Saturday Program Pages.
The $440,000 Fan Hanover Stakes is part of Mohawk's mega-stakes Saturday card of harness racing headlined by the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup. The card also features a $75,000 North America Cup Consolation, $365,000 Roses Are Red Stakes (pacing mares), $253,000 Armbro Flight Stakes (trotting mares), $251,000 Goodtimes Stakes (three-year-old trotting colts), and $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup (invitational pacers).
First race post time is 6:30 p.m. The 34th edition of the Pepsi North America Cup will go postward at 10:40 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on TSN3 and TSN5 from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.