Rainbow Room blistered the back half in :54.4 en route to the fastest victory in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Sires Stakes events at the Meadows.
The event for freshman filly pacers, known as The Meadow Cheer, was contested over three divisions, with Come See The Show and Cuts Like A Knife taking the other splits, both for Tim Tetrick.
Rainbow Room, a Somebeachsomewhere daughter of 2004 Horse of The Year Rainbow Blue, hadn’t faced the starter since she won a July 18 PASS leg at The Meadows. When she found herself sitting third in a sluggish :29 opening panel, she zipped to the front at the quarter for David Miller and jogged from there, scoring in 1:53.2. Early leader Majorsspeciallady was 2-3/4 lengths back in second, with Bye Hanover third.
“She got home really well,” said Joe Holloway who trains Rainbow Room, a $100,000 yearling acquisition, for Crawford Farms Racing, Val Dor Farms and Ted Gewertz. “It was good to see her strong to the wire. She’s versatile — that’s the best thing about her. She’ll go to the next leg of the sires stakes at Pocono; after that, we’ll choose between a stake at Hoosier and the She’s A Great Lady, and then to the Red Mile.”
It was the third victory in four career starts for Rainbow Room.
Come See The Show is no slouch in the pedigree department — she’s a Somebeachsomewhere daughter of Put On A Show, a 2010 divisional champion with a lifetime bankroll of nearly $2.4 million. In her previous outings, including two baby races and a PASS win in her pari-mutuel debut, she hadn’t been worse than fourth at any point. In the Meadow Cheer, however, she got away sixth.
She calmly followed the live cover of Sansovina Hanover and accelerated wide through the lane to triumph in 1:54.2, downing Sansovina Hanover by 3-1/4 lengths, with Shes In For Life third.
“I loved that trip because that’s actually the way we train her,” said winning conditioner Linda Toscano. “She loves a target. We’ve worked on getting her relaxed and following horses and then sprinting home. It was a perfect trip for her today.”
She indicated Come See The Show also would be pointed to the next PASS leg. Joann Young and Richard Young bred and own Come See The Show.
Cuts Like A Knife provided the stake’s toteboard excitement when, at 10-1, she rallied strongly through the stretch and pulled off the upset in 1:53.4. Double A Mint was second, while Scuola Hanover completed the ticket. Bruce Saunders trains the daughter of A Rocknroll Dance-Whetstone Hanover for the Nashes — Charles, Julie and Francene.
“She was a little hot earlier, but Bruce got her calmed down,” Tetrick said. “When she was training down, he kept telling me how nice she was. She’s starting to prove that. She’s got some talent, and she’s letting me do my job driving her.”
In the $20,000 Filly & Mare Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Trot, Barn Girl won for the 21st time over the past two years, matching her career best 1:53.3 for Aaron Merriman, trainer Bill Bercury and owner Renee Bercury. The five-year-old daughter of Cash Hall-Turquoise Sweetie extended her career bankroll to $500,832.
Mike Wilder collected three wins on the 14-race program.
Wednesday’s card at The Meadows features eight divisions of a $160,000 PA Stallion series stake for freshman colt and gelding trotters. First post is 1:05 p.m.
(The Meadows)