Win Missy B, who started the year with three straight losses, got back on track Monday at The Meadows by winning a division of the $120,000 Currier & Ives in stake record-matching time.
The event for three-year-old filly trotters was conducted over three divisions, with Delicious and Shanty Irish also taking $40,000 splits.
Win Missy B banked $727,140 at two and challenged Check Me Out, the Dan Patch awardee, on a number of occasions. But she opened 2012 in elite company, finishing third to Maven in an Elegantimage elimination and third to Check Me Out in the final of that event at Mohawk.
“She came back perfectly, but those stakes in Canada are tough,” said trainer/driver Charlie Norris. “She was in real tough from the get-go.”
In the Currier & Ives, the daughter of Conway Hall-Winning Missbrenda moved to the lead past the quarter for Norris and held off the determined charge of Sequin Hanover to down that rival by half a length. Her time of 1:54.4 equaled the stake record established by Timelesswinner Two in 2009.
Norris said Win Missy B, bred and owned by Bob Key, will head to the Reynolds and the Delvin Miller, where she may show off a new style.
“We want her in some spots where she can race from behind and get her confidence back,” Norris said. “She sat in for a little bit last week and today. The main thing is getting her confidence up and finishing strong.”
Delicious flashed her new style in the Currier & Ives, forging to the lead rather than closing. It paid off in her first win of the year, a front-end triumph in 1:56 for Matt Kakaley, trainer Ron Gurfein and owners Patrick Quaid and Jerry Silva. Loose Deuce rallied for second, seven lengths back, with Keystone Tempo third.
“I really wanted to try her on the lead,” Kakaley said of the daughter of Cantab Hall-Ipsara LB. “I put her there her first start as a two-year-old and she was super, so I wanted to put her there again today. She likes the lead, but she’s not quick enough to get there sometimes.”
Shanty Irish, who raced only three days earlier at the Meadowlands, enjoyed the pocket trip Palone gave her, blowing by Cocktail Attire in the lane to defeat her by half a length in 1:56.1. Powell Blue Chip completed the ticket.
“I could have gone left or right in the stretch, but horses would rather pass on the right in my opinion,” Palone said. “She went right by. She did everything right for racing back so soon.”
Ron Burke trains Shanty Irish, a daughter of Muscles Yankee-Tori Ann, for Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
In the $22,500 Preferred Trot, Break The Bank K made the winning move first over for Palone and prevailed in 1:54.3 over Sharp Edge. Rembrandt Spur earned show. Key owns and Rich Gillock trains the five-year-old son of Revenue S-American Misty, who extended his career bankroll to $1,107,136.
Dave Palone piloted Shanty Irish among his five wins on the 16-race card. That lifted his career win total to 15,165, just 15 behind the North American record of Herve Filion. The Meadows has two more live cards this week, 12:55 p.m. Tuesday and 6:55 p.m. Wednesday.
(The Meadows)