After losses by a head and a neck to harness racing’s top-ranked female pacer, Be Perfect BG will look to return to her winning ways on Saturday, July 25 in a $64,052 USD division of the Grade 3 Mickey Burke Adioo Volo for three-year-old filly pacers at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.
Be Perfect BG’s appearance in the second of the afternoon’s two Adioo Volo splits will occur one race prior to her archrival, Loua Dipa, heading to the track to face eight sophomore boys in the $420,500 USD final of the Grade 1 Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids, presented by 1/ST BET. Both races will be shown as part of a one-hour national cable telecast on CBS Sports Network beginning at 5 p.m.
Loua Dipa, who for two weeks this season was ranked No. 1 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll and currently is No. 3, is the first filly to compete in the Adios since 1969. She is the only horse to ever beat Be Perfect BG, snapping her nine-race win streak with a head victory in a Canadian record 1:48.1 in the Grade 1 Fan Hanover Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 13 and then posting a neck victory in a stakes record 1:48 in the Grade 3 Jerry Silverman Memorial at The Meadowlands on July 11.
“There is no shame in the way she lost both those trips,” said Anthony Beaton, who trains Be Perfect BG for owner Ecurie CSL of Sorel-Tracy, Que. “We had [Loua Dipa] sit on our helmet in the first race and then she left us on the outside in the next one. I think if we can draw inside of her one day maybe the roles will be reversed.
“But it is what it is. They all get beat.”
Be Perfect BG’s appearances in the Fan Hanover and Silverman Memorial were her first Grand Circuit starts after dominating in New Jersey on her way to Sire Stakes championships at ages two and three. For her career, the daughter of Perfect Sting-JK Mardi Says has the nine wins, two seconds and $499,338 in earnings.
“She’s a very special filly,” said Beaton. “She makes nothing easy for her opponents. She battles the whole mile.
“You never know what to expect when they’re going up against the Grand Circuit types, and I think she’s fared very well with a win [in her Fan Hanover elimination] and two seconds. Two narrow losses, and probably to one of the better fillies that’s ever put a harness on.”
After going five-for-five as a freshman, Be Perfect BG was given time off to mature for her three-year-old season.
“We shut her down [after the NJSS final on Aug. 1] because we had nothing else to race for,” said Beaton. “We let her grow up, let her be a horse, and she came back to me in November and I couldn’t believe the way she grew up. Just the difference in size and how long and how thick she got. She just developed into a beautiful-looking animal. And she’s only three, so she’s still developing. We’ve been very pleased with her.”
Be Perfect BG was not staked to the Adioo Volo, so her connections paid $7,500 USD to supplement to the event. She was one of two supplements, with Miss Jum Jabber, who competes in the first Adioo Volo division.
“We discussed it with the ownership and said it’s going to fill a void in our schedule,” said Beaton. “Rather than qualify, we get to race for a little bit of money, and we get to have a competitive race and try to keep her sharp and on her toes.”
Be Perfect BG will start from post six in a field of eight in her Adioo Volo division. She will have Dexter Dunn in the sulky and is the 8-5 morning line favourite.
“We’re in very good shape, I think,” said Beaton. “I’m not afraid to go to battle when I’ve got a horse like 'Be Perfect.' And don’t get me wrong, we’ve got a great driver, too, with Dexter. That always helps. We just hope to have her ready and have a good day and maybe we’ll be in the winner’s circle again.”
Topville Lucky, coming off a win in the Grade 3 Nadia Lobell Stakes at Eldorado Scioto Downs on July 18, is the 5-2 morning line choice in the first Adioo Volo division. She will leave from post two with Dunn driving for trainer Andrew Harris. Miss Jum Jabber, who has won eight of nine races, is the 3-1 second choice and will start from post six with Andrew McCarthy driving for trainer Brett Pelling.
Racing begins at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at The Meadows.
The Adioo Volo fields are listed below.
$64,052 USD Adioo Volo Division #1
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Morning Line Odds
1. Spoon Fed – Dave Palone – Doug Snyder – 12–1
2. Topville Lucky – Dexter Dunn – Andrew Harris – 5–2
3. Seaside Shuffle – Ronnie Wrenn Jr. – Ron Burke – 6–1
4. Real Fast – Tim Tetrick – Ron Burke – 8–1
5. Shacarri – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke – 5–1
6. Miss Jum Jabber – Andrew McCarthy – Brett Pelling – 3–1
7. Robins Song – Mike Wilder – Dan Altmeyer – 12–1
8. Say Goodnight – Scott Zeron – Nick Devita – 10–1
$64,052 USD Adioo Volo Division #2
Post – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Morning Line Odds
1. Barbuda Belle – Ronnie Wrenn Jr. – Ron Burke – 6–1
2. Shes A Rich Girl – Scott Zeron – Linda Toscano – 15–1
3. Perfect Thought – James MacDonald – Tim Twaddle – 6–1
4. Naughty Beauty – Todd McCarthy – Andrew Harris – 7–1
5. Im A Lou Lou – Tim Tetrick – Ron Burke – 7–2
6. Be Perfect BG – Dexter Dunn – Anthony Beaton – 8–5
7. Laude Da – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke – 12–1
(With files from USTA)