The three-year-old pacing filly Miki And Minnie, just voted number one in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, didn’t take long to show the talent that earned her that spot, winning the single division of the third preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 7.
Going for $152,000, the richest harness purse in eastern Pennsylvania so far this year (a mark which will stand for nine days), the daughter of Always B Miki-Thats The Ticket drew the outside in a field of seven. Driver Dexter Dunn elected to get a seat with Miki And Minnie early as Asphalt (Tim Tetrick) took over from Lily White Hanover (Todd McCarthy) past the :27.1 first quarter.
There was no movement as the field reached the half in :55, but then Time Of The Season (Andrew McCarthy) came outside, with Rodeo Drive Deo (Dave Miller), the only horse to beat Miki And Minnie this year, on her back, and Dunn’s hand was forced. His filly was able to launch a giant third-quarter uncovered charge to take the lead by the 1:22.2 third station, and from there the race was for place, as neither Dunn nor Miki And Minnie looked at all unruffled as they won by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:49.4. Rodeo Drive Deo finished strongly to edge Time Of The Season for second.
Miki And Minnie’s scorecard is now 8-7-1-0 for the year, and she has won 13 of 19 career starts while earning $1,691,256 for newly-minted Hall of Fame trainer Chris Ryder and the owning partnership of Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo, and Lawrence Minowitz.
Possibilities for her upcoming schedule are the Lynch Memorial at Pocono a week from Saturday (where a long-awaited meeting with an eligible rival from the north, Chantilly, who faces older at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, could take place); a Sire Stakes prelim at The Meadows on August 29 if needed or desired; and her $300,000 USD PASS Championship on September 6 at The Meadows.
There were also three $27,778 Stallion Series (StS) divisions for the sophomore pacing fillies. Ballast and Fancy Like Louuuuu joined the absent Always Dawn as two-time StS winners, with the Tall Dark Stranger-Catamaran Fashion miss Ballast providing the fastest clocking of the three divisions while lowering her mark to 1:50.3. Sweet Odds (Simon Allard) pushed Ballast (Tetrick) to a :26.3 quarter, sat behind her through middle splits of :54 and 1:22.1, then tested her in the drive, but Ballast prevailed by a neck. Earth Angel (Troy Beyer) finished third. Ballast is now three-for-10 this season for trainer Travis Alexander and owner EVM Racing LLC.
The victory was the sixth of the day for Philly’s leading driver Tim Tetrick. The Hall of Fame reinsman also won with Southwind Alamo, Mister Boinga, Made Of Dreams, Sheer Heart Attack, and Inferno Dk. Tetrick boasts a 20.1 per cent win rate this year and a commanding lead in the drivers' standings.
The Sweet Lou-Somewhere Sweet distaff Fancy Like Louuuuuu enjoyed a pocket trip behind splits of :26.4, :55.4, and 1:23.3, then gained command in the stretch to win by two lengths while lowering her record to 1:51.4, with closer Pilar Hanover (Tetrick) photoing Beyonsay Yankee (Miller) for second. Dexter Dunn added this Stallion Series success to his Sire Stakes score for trainer Sarah Andrews, who co-owns the winning filly with Sandbur Farms. Fancy Like Louuuuuu has won three of 15 starts this year.
The Captaintreacherous-Muskoka Moonlight filly Westwinds, off her game in her last couple of starts, bounced back with a sharp front-stepping score, moving after a :26.3 opener to put down middle times of :55 and 1:22.3 en route to a 1-1/2-length win over Stevie Hanover (Montrell Teague) in 1:51.2. Beckoning Yankee (Miller) was third. Todd McCarthy drove the winning Noel Daley-trained sophomore, now four-for-10 this season, for Milton Leeman, Stambaugh Keith Stable, Joe Sbrocco, and Wingfield Brothers LLC.
Trainer Scott Brockwell harnessed the first winner of his training career, sending out Lucky Weekend, who captured the last race while paying $42.60 – on a day when no other winner returned more than $8.60. The nine-year-old gelding put up panels of :28.1 and :58.4 for Brandon Givens before he was headed by Robbie Pev (Andy Miller) at three-quarters in 1:27.2. Lucky Weekend regained his lead on the final turn, and the Lucky Chucky-Weekend Vacation gelding pulled away to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:56.2. Robbie Pev finished second over Tommy Mackenzie (Patrick Ryder).
Brockwell recorded the maiden-breaking win in his 24th start. He debuted on July 4 with Boiler Maker, who provided the trainer his first top-three finish 12 races later. Brockwell, a resident of Philadelphia, Pa. has two place finishes and two thirds to go along with his newly-acquired victory.
The Friday Philly card will feature $216,216 USD of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action for pacing fillies, with two divisions of Sire Stakes and four cuts of Stallion Series races on a program starting at 12:25 p.m.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)