Day Lily rebounded from a disappointing career debut by romping to a 9-1/2 length, front-end victory in 1:58.1, fastest division in Wednesday’s $100,000 Pennsylvania Stallions Series stake at The Meadows.
The event for two-year-old filly trotters was contested over five divisions, with Joy Gliding, Whitney Hanover, Youth Gone Wild and Missive taking the other $20,000 splits. Dave Palone enjoyed a stake double behind Day Lily and Whitney Hanover.
Day Lily broke stride in her PA All Stars division while stalking from the pocket. In the stallions series, she played catch me if you can — they couldn’t. Leaping Lady closed for second in her career bow while Grannylane Hanover finished third.
“A lot of times it’s tough to distinguish between the sires stakes and stallions series types the first leg,” Palone said. “She looks like she can probably go with the sires stakes fillies. I was more than impressed with her, and she drives beautifully.”
Chris Oakes trains the daughter of Andover Hall-Filly At Bigs — a full sister to the highly successful Big Rigs —for Hauser Brothers Racing and Conrad Zurich.
Mike Wilder pulled the pocket with Joy Gliding down the backside, and the homebred daughter of Yankee Glide-Muscles Joy cruised home at first asking in 2:00.4. Alpha Alpha recovered from an early break to finish second, 6-1/2 lengths back, with Fudge AS third.
“She’s been training down well,” said Randy Beeckman, who conditions Joy Gliding for Miller’s Stable Inc. “She qualified just average, but she’s always had the speed. She still has a lot to learn. She can get a little bully at times and get to pulling on you a little bit, but once you get her in a hole, she’s usually pretty good.”
Whitney Hanover was let go at 7-1, but when the 1-5 favourite, Wouldnt Itbesweet, tired in the lane, the daughter of Donato Hanover-Water Star pounced, notching her maiden-breaker in 1:59.3. Global Ice was second, 3-1/4 lengths in arrears, while Wouldnt Itbesweet saved show.
“Anytime there’s a 1-5, sometimes you have to concede and look to beat the rest of them,” Palone said, “and if you do get to the 1-5, it’s a bonus. That’s what we’re doing with these young trotters a lot of times. I was lucky enough that when I moved her, she was full of trot.”
Ray Schnittker trains Whitney Hanover and owns with Edward Pachuta and Ted Gewertz.
In the $22,500 Filly & Mare Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Trot, Cowgirl Hall made it three wins in her last four starts with a facile front-end triumph for Palone, trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jack Piatt III and Michael Rosenthal. The first-over Mistress Valentine was 1-3/4 lengths back in second while Daylon Miracle completed the ticket.
A five-year-old daughter of Cash Hall-Centerfold Hall, Cowgirl Hall extended her career bankroll to $552,553.
Tony Hall and Wilder each drove four winners on the 16-race card.
Live racing at The Meadows resumes Friday, when the card features the Meadow Gladys, a $247,481 PA Sires Stake for freshman filly trotters. First post is 6:55 p.m.
(The Meadows)