After a dominating two-year-old season, Precocious Beauty is ready to star on the biggest stage again in the Fan Hanover Stakes.
The three-year-old daughter of Art Major-Precious Beauty, trained by Gregg McNair, leads a group of 14 fillies set to battle in two eliminations of the stakes event, races one and two, on Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
Precocious Beauty won seven times in 11 starts last season with her biggest triumph coming in the $451,000 Shes A Great Lady final at Mohawk for owner James Avritt Sr. of Lebanon, Kentucky.
She was named two-year-old pacing filly of the year on both sides of the border and during her successful campaign established a world record of 1:50.1 at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky.
This season, Precocious Beauty returned to the races a week ago with a victory in a New York Sire Stake at Vernon Downs.
Driver Doug McNair said Precocious Beauty knows when it’s time to do her work.
“She’s not a real strong trainer or qualifier, she just does what she has to do,” said McNair. “Last week, same thing, she saw the gate and she knew it was time to race...she paced right through the wire, she was in the toughest division last week I thought and she did everything right.”
McNair noted there wasn’t a lot of change in the filly from age two to three.
“She’s definitely big and filled right out, but she’s always been big so there really isn’t a lot of change in her," he said. "She just feels as similar as last year.”
Precocious Beauty will start from post five in the second elimination and joins three other fillies (Barefoot Beauty, Wanna Rock N Roll, Lady Shadow) that trainer Gregg McNair will send out in the eliminations.
Doug McNair will guide Barefoot Beauty from post two in the first elimination and is confident in both his charges, but has a lot of faith that Precocious Beauty can get the job done.
“I think she [Precocious Beauty] is the best in there," he said. "In the other division, [Jimmy] Takter’s filly [Uffizi Hanover] is in there and she won the Breeders Crown last year so obviously she will be tough to beat.”
The two eliminations are carded as the first two races Saturday night.
The top five finishers from both eliminations will advance to the $457,500 Fan Hanover Stakes final on Pepsi North America Cup night, June 14.
The fillies will line up in this order:
Race 1: Elimination 1, Purse: $35,000
PP - Horse - Driver
1. Take That Hanover – Mike Saftic
2. Barefoot Beauty – Doug McNair
3. Nat A Virgin – Rick Zeron
4. Beach Gal – Jody Jamieson
5. Wanna Rock N Roll – Brian Sears
6. Uffizi Hanover – David Miller
7. Fancy Desire – Ron Pierce
Race 2: Elimination 2, Purse $35,000
PP - Horse - Driver
1. Rock N Roll Xample – James MacDonald
2. Mamas Fallen Angel – Yannick Gingras
3. Table Talk – Jimmy Marohn Jr.
4. Major Dancer – David Miller
5. Precocious Beauty – Doug McNair
6. Lady Shadow – Brian Sears
7. Bahama Blue – Jody Jamieson
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Saturday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack.
(With files from WEG)