Odds-on favourites Agent Q, Bettors Up, and Idyllic Beach were all victorious in their third-round preliminary divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies on Sunday night (August 7) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
With two wins and a second each in the three Sires prelims to date, each has all but qualified for their $350,000 Sire Stakes Championship, on September 11 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
Agent Q was first to take to the track, and the Western Terror filly showed no ill effects from being scratched sick on Adios Day, making every pole a winning one while equalling her mark of 1:53.3, with David Miller at the lines. The Aaron Lambert-trained filly showed her quality with back fractions of :54.4 – :27.1, winning by two and a half lengths for owners Martin Scharf, William Rochetti Jr., Tanya Rochetti, and Robert Muscara.
The Bettors Delight miss Bettors Up, guided by Tim Tetrick for the first time, stalked pacesetting Miss Jones for much of their division, then rallied from the pocket into a :27.1 kicker to lower her mark a full second with a one and a half-length tally over the front-stepper in 1:52.3. Bettors Up has now won two straight and four of her five career starts for trainer Scott McEneny and owners Bradley Grant, Teresa Davidson, and Michelle McEneny.
Owner Marvin Katz, who the day before won the Hambletonian Oaks and the Doherty Final with full sisters All The Time and Ariana G and a Hambletonian elimination with Bar Hopping, completed a sensational weekend when a filly he co-owns, Idyllic Beach. She quarter-moved to command then stepped home in :56 – :27.4 to reduce her mark to 1:52.3. The impeccably-bred daughter of Somebeachsomewhere–Idyllic was guided by Yannick Gingras to a two and three-quarter-length victory for owners Katz, Christina Takter (who is also a co-owner of Bar Hopping), John Fielding, and Brixton Medical Inc., and trainer Jimmy Takter (conditioner of all three of Katz’s Saturday winners).
After this third Sire Stakse two-year-old pacing filly prelim, an unofficial tallying of the eight highest point-winners shows the three winners on Sunday tied, as noted, on top with 80 points (35-25-15-10-8-5-4-2-1), followed by Gigi From Fiji (65), Someomensomewhere (60), Somesleazetoplease and Watch What You Say (tied at 55), and Keystone Rampage (50). The group’s final preliminary will be August 30 at The Meadows.
FINISHING LINES – Monday night seven divisions of Stallion Series for two-year-old pacing fillies will go behind the gate for their third preliminary. Like their Sire Stakes counterparts, no filly took down wins in both early prelims, but with 11 one-time winners entered, the scramble for first-money – and pecking-order rights leading up to their $40,000 Championship at Pocono on Monday, September 12 – should ensure top racing action.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)