Agent Q extended her winning streak and Idyllic Beach snapped her losing streak, as two of the glamour girls in the three-year-old filly pacers division each won a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) split in Saturday’s $142,404 Romola Hanover at The Meadows.
Agent Q entered off four straight wins, including in the Mistletoe Shalee and a sweep of her Lynch elimination and the final. Dropping in fourth for David Miller, Agent Q moved to the lead first over down the backside and held off Caviart Ally by a half length in 1:51.1. Early-leader Way Bettor finished third. Agent Q, who has missed the ticket only once in 20 starts in her career, extended her lifetime bankroll to $889,530 for owners Martin Scharf, Rochetti Cassar Racing and Robert Muscara.
“You never like to draw 9, but we still thought we had a good shot,” trainer Aaron Lambert said. “She’s right on her game now. She’s been good for a long time. Hopefully she can stay that way.”
The Dan Patch Award winner at two, Idyllic Beach added Lasix moving into her PASS split, stalking Bettor’s Up from the pocket, then blowing by in the lane to score by one-and-a-half lengths in 1:51.3. A pair of long shots — Risky Romance and Terrortina — completed the ticket.
“Bleeding definitely didn’t help her, although I’m not sure it was the only thing,” driver Yannick Gingras said. “It’s a tough group of fillies — that’s probably part of the reason, too. She raced really good today, and hopefully she moves forward from here.”
Jimmy Takter conditions Idyllic Beach, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere-Idyllic who vaulted over $800,000 in career earnings for owners Christina Takter, John Fielding, Brixton Medical Inc. and Marvin Katz.
The PASS championships for three-year-olds are set for September 3 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
A trio of $20,000 dashes for The Stallion Series were also contested on the Saturday program.
Freakonomics matched Dismissal's stakes record, winning the opening Stallion Series split in 1:51.1. Miss Jones and Ella Christina took the other splits, with Tim Tetrick scoring a stake double behind Freakonomics and Ella Christina.
Freakonomics dueled for the early lead in a demanding :26.4, but she drew off to best Perplexed by four-and-a-half lengths. Someomensomewhere completed the ticket.
“I got an okay second-quarter breather,” Tetrick said. “From there on, it was her race to win or lose, and she responded well. She locked up on a line in the Adioo Volo here; today, she was straight as a string.”
Ross Croghan trains the daughter of Western Terror-Mind Boggling, who pushed her career bankroll to $120,298, for Let It Ride Stables and Dana Parham.
Ella Christina swung wide through the stretch and prevailed in 1:53.1 for trainer Nick Surick and owners Nick Surick Stable, J.L. Benson Stables, William Daggett, Jr. and Lawrence Vukovic. Beach Club shot the Lightning Lane for second, three-quarter lengths back, with the first-up Traceuse Hanover third.
“I was in a pretty good spot at the quarter, but by the five-eighths, I was in a bad spot again,” Tetrick said. “I got to slide out, come around, and she got it done.”
Miss Jones, who was highly regarded by trainer Joe Holloway and owners Crawford Farms Racing, Val D’Or Farms and Ted Gewertz, missed nearly two months when veterinarians discovered a problem with the middle joint of her right hind hock.
“We sent her to the University of Pennsylvania for a bone scan, and they picked it up,” Holloway said. “She was still a little bit off today but not horribly gaited. Maybe we can salvage a little bit of the year.”
In her comeback race Saturday, the daughter of Bettor’s Delight-Dreams Are Great edged the pocket-sitting Bridge To Tomorrow by a nose to lift her career bankroll to $110,453. Emily R Hanover was third.
The Meadows will host all eight stallion series championships, each with a purse of $40,000, on Saturday, September 2.
(With files from The Meadows)