It was ladies' night on the racetrack at Running Aces on Thursday, Aug. 28 with top distaffers taking centre stage in the $21,528 Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Last week's winner, Lloyds Loves was the public choice at 2-5 and Scorecard Dandy was sent off as the 4-1 second pick in the seven-horse contest.
Stablemates Twist Little Girl N (Mooney Svendsen) and Lloyds Loves (Billy Mann) were the fastest off the car and battled early for the top with Twist Little Girl N posting the opening fraction in a fast :26.3 before Lloyds Loves made a quarter pole move to take over the top.
Scorecard Dandy (Dean Magee) set up shop in third and Premier Desirey (Brady Jenson) traveled in fourth while Lloyds Loves throttled the speed down for a :29.4 second quarter breather.
Down the backstretch the lineup remained the same in the top four and Lloyds Loves kicked up the tempo to register a :28.2 third panel and keep firm control.
In the lane Twist Little Girl N vacated the pocket to come after Lloyds Loves and Scorecard Dandy also tipped out and that allowed Jenson and Premier Desirey to get rolling on the inside of the leader.
A three-way battle ensued in the final stages and Lloyds Loves fought gamely but Premier Desirey ($24.60) was full of pace and surged past late for a three-quarter length tally in 1:52.3 while Twist Little Girl N was third best.
The winner is an eight-year-old daughter of Real Desire, owned by Harold Herrera of Wind Gap, Pa. and trained by Bob Johnson along with assistant Jose Herrera. The win was her seventh of the season and 14th career tally.
Glittering Hope (Williams Hernandez, $14.40) posted an impressive gate-to-wire 1:54 score in the $12,500 sophomore Open Pace for her sixth win of the season.
Hernandez sent the daughter of Bettors Wish right to the front from post two and they held court throughout the mile and held gamely against a late challenge from heavy favourite The Blood Bay Colt (Dean Magee) to win by a neck. The Minnesota Kid (Luke Plano) rounded out the trifecta.
The winner is owned by Friendship Stables and is trained by Maria Alvarez.
Drivers Mooney Svendsen, Williams Hernandez and Brady Jenson and trainers Kathie Plested, Maria Alvarez and Bob Lems all had doubles on the program.
Live harness racing action returns to Running Aces on Sunday, Aug. 31 for Pepsi Family Night with a special visit from Keith Gisser and the Herps Alive Foundation with their live and interactive reptile display. Post time on Sunday is 6 p.m. (CDT).
(Running Aces)