With morning-line favourite Bone A Fide slated to race in the Elegantimage Stakes later in the week at Mohawk Racetrack and thus scratched, Crown Laurel was in the perfect position to prevail in a $64,059 division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies on Wednesday
afternoon at Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack.
In the race's early stages, Matt Kakaley had the daughter of Cantab Hall racing conservatively from midfield, well off leaders Barham Hanover (Mike Wilder) and Pursuit Of Dream (Brian Sears) through initial splits of :27.2 and :57.1.
"I didn't want to rush her out anyway--you've got to watch her some going into the first turn," commented Kakaley. "When Brian and Mike left for the lead [with Pursuit Of Dream and Barham Hanover], I wanted to make sure I was in the flow no matter what. If I was going to follow anyone, it was going to be George [Napolitano, with favourite Greathallofchina]. But it looked like his filly was struggling a bit, so I came first-over."
Moving up the backstretch, Crown Laurel gained steadily first-over, offering mild pressure to Barham Hanover before flattening a bit on the far turn.
Kakaley continued, "Going up the backstretch I was going to rate her along, but Brian was backing out of the two-hole, so I ducked her in there to braven her up a little bit. When I moved her at the top of the stretch, she was gone."
At the top of the stretch, Crown Laurel edged to the outside in decisive fashion, putting away Barham Hanover and drawing clear for a 4-1/4-length victory. Pursuit Of Dream finished third.
"When I moved her, I didn't know how much Barham Hanover had on the lead, but there was never a doubt with my filly. She just exploded," Kakaley concluded.
Crown Laurel's time of 1:54.3 was not only a track record for three-year-old trotting fillies at Chester, but also the fastest mile for a three-year-old trotting filly on any five-eighths mile track this year.
Ron Gurfein trains the homebred filly, who has won half of her six starts this year banking $44,572, for Brittany Farms of Versailles, Kentucky.
Other division winners follow (with time, sire, and driver).
Easy Dream (1:55.2, SJs Caviar, Dave Palone)
Secret Magic (1:54.4, Cantab Hall, Mike Lachance)
Spicy Wings (1:55, Andover Hall, John Campbell)
(With files from Harrah's Chester)