For the first nine months of the year, older pacing mares have been exchanging seats at the top of the class
. Each time a new leader takes hold of the division a rival comes along to supplant her. Turning the corner into the homestretch for the Breeders Crown Mare Pace, Tug River Princess is trying to assert some form of dominance and emerge with her first Crown title.
The $300,000 event, slated with eliminations on October 2 and a final at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs on October 9, has a solid list of 36 eligible mares. At least a dozen of those have a realistic chance to taking home the crystal.
Tug River Princess, has captured two of the richest events for aged pacing mares this year. The daughter of Badlands Hanover took home the trophies in both the $376,000 Roses Are Red at Mohawk and the $257,000 Golden Girls at the Meadowlands. Owned by Let It Ride Stable, Robert Cooper and Jerry Silva, Tug River Princess sports a career bank account of more than $1.8 million and hopes to add to that in the final of the Milton Stakes on September 25 at Mohawk. Jeff Webster trains Tug River Princess, who has shown the versatility to win from both on and off the pace. The “Princess” ripped off an easy length and a half victory in 1:50.3 at Chester on Thursday, September 16, having earned a bye for the Milton Stakes final on September 25. Crown eligibles Chancey Lady and Showherthemoney were second and third in that mile.
Tug River Princess’ Milton rivals will be determined this Saturday night in an elimination heat at Mohawk. Looking for final berths are a slew of Crown candidates including the cream of this year’s classy crop.
Dreamfair Eternal is already a major winner this year over the five-eighths mile track, with an incredible mile in Tioga Downs’ Artiscape. The Ontario-bred daughter of Camluck clocked a 1:49.4 mile on the three-turn oval defeating many of the best in the sport. A solid second to Tug River Princess in the Roses Are Red, Dreamfair Eternal has won nine of 15 starts this year. Over the course of the last two campaigns the John Lamers-owned mare has won 26 races and earned close to $1.1 million.
Trainer Ron Burke’s stable has sent out an impressive array of aged pacing talent this year dominating racetracks throughout the east coast. He has a formidable pair of mares each with an exceptional chance of capturing the Crown title. On The Glass has emerged as his stable’s front-runner with 11 wins this year in just 25 starts. The New York-bred by Art Major has bounced back in a big way after setting wild fractions in the Artiscape only to finish at the back of the pack. Since that mile in June, the Joseph DiScala and Cynthia Massari-owned mare has come on with powerful efforts including a 1:49 lifetime best in capturing the $248,000 Lady Liberty at the Meadowlands.
Stablemate Ginger And Fred started her year off in smashing style taking the $237,000 final of the Blue Chip Matchmaker at Yonkers in a sizzling 1:52 mile. A winner of nearly $700,000 as a sophomore, Ginger And Fred is closing in on lifetime earnings of $1.3 million for owners Howard Taylor, Ronald Feldman, Ed Gold and Jerry Silva.
Owner Silva seems to have a piece of almost every top pacing mare in North America. His best shot at the Crown may be with Southwind Tempo. The incredibly talented six-year-old by Bettors Delight has not shown the same kind of ruggedness as many in this division. With just 10 starts this year heading into Saturday’s Milton, the $2.3 million lifetime winner has failed to capture a major stakes race this season. Last year she earned nearly $1 million capturing the Milton, Golden Girls, Lady Liberty and Betsy Ross in the process.
If there is a key to Southwind Tempo’s game it is that she is extremely talented over the five-eighths mile track. In her five seasons on the racetrack she has set personal bests each year over a five-eighths track including a lifetime best 1:48.3 mile taken at Chester a year ago. Let It Ride Stable share ownership with Silva and Jeff Webster trains the classy mare still in search of her first Crown title.
Although Chancey Lady has not won a major aged pacing race since the Cape & Cutter at the Meadowlands in February, she has been sharpening her game for trainer Mark Kesmodel late this summer at Chester Downs. The five-year-old daughter of Camluck regained her winning form in a big way with back-to-back 1:48.4 and 1:50.1 miles against open foes at Chester. Purchased in August by Hal Glestein from the estate of Niele Jiwan, Chancey Lady appears to have regained some of her early season form. As a three-year-old in 2008 Chancey Lady captured an elimination for the Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands, but had too much ground to make up finishing fifth in the rich final.
Although Ramona Disomma has had a rather long and race-filled season, it would be wise not to count her out of the Crown contenders. Perhaps the only mare in the potential Crown field to have started the season on January 1, Ramona Disomma made her mark with a 1:50.4 win in the Overbid back in March at the Meadowlands. Ramona Disomma makes her 31st start of the year in Friday's (September 17) Open event at Yonkers.
With the incredible number of talented pacing mares with extreme speed, the $300,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace on October 9 at Mohegan Sun Pocono promises to be a spectacular event and could even be the best race of the dozen Crowns contested.
(Breeders Crown)