On Wednesday, September 19, Burke Racing Stable's Darena Hanover, driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Ron Burke, looped to the lead early in the $177,630 second heat of the 2012 Jugette and went on to win the coveted dash for three-year-old pacing fillies in 1:51 flat.
Opening heat victress Bettor B Lucky, steered by Jim Morrill Jr., made a bid for the wire late up the rail, but fell just short for trainer Burke, who finished 'one-two' in the stakes event for fleet-footed distaffers. The John Campbell-driven and Bob McIntosh-conditioned Shelliscape, who herself was an opening-heat winner, also tried to get up on Darena Hanover in the late stages, but ran out of real estate.
Darena Hanover's decisive move came in the early going. After having left off the gate along with Bettor B Lucky and Shelliscape, Gingras was in the process of settling Darena Hanover into the three hole behind Campbell's mount. Shelliscape appeared to put in a few steps on the turn, at which point Gingras pulled Darena Hanover out, attacked Bettor B Lucky on the engine, and cleared to the lead as the field was straightening to the backstretch.
The opening quarter had been cut in :26.4, and from there Gingras and Shelliscape went on to click off the half in :55 and the three quarters in 1:22.3.
By the time Darena Hanover was pacing along the final turn and well into her 'catch me if you can' tactic, Shelliscape and Campbell were attacking first up. American Jewel (driven by Tim Tetrick) made a three-wide bid in the final quarter, but Darena Hanover was the one that ultimately persevered.
"This filly is huge on the front and just raced great," Gingras said from the winner's circle afterward. "She was on fumes a bit coming for home, but when I came off the turn I thought I was a winner."
Burke praised Gingras and his team in the winner's circle, noting that he thought Gingras drove a great race.
Bred by Pennsylvania's Hanover Shoe Farms, Darena Hanover was a $20,000 yearling purchase at the 2010 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
The field had been reduced to seven starters after Economy Terror was scratched from the second heat.
After seeing some hot fractions up front, driver John Campbell and the Bob McIntosh-trained Shelliscape employed an absolutely devastating three-wide move on the final turn during the second division of the first heat of the 2012 Jugette for three-year-old pacing fillies.
Besides turning the heads of everyone in attendance, Campbell and the Artiscape filly also lowered the world record for sophomore pacing lasses on a half-mile track with the scintillating 1:50.3 win.
As expected, it was a fight for the front right off the hop, as Angel Scent (driven by Jody Jamieson), Darena Hanover (Yannick Gingras) and Economy Terror (Dave Palone) each took a shot at controlling the tempo. The result was a three-wide sprint into the opening turn.
Angel Scent gave her best to control the engine, but it was ultimately Economy Terror that took over close to the 26-second opening quarter. Palone and his mount continued to march the field down to the half, as he and his filly went on to click off the :54.1 half-mile marker.
The action heated up even more in the third quarter, as Eighthunrdolarbill (George Brennan) made a first-up move to the front. The pressure forced Economy Terror to pace on to the three-quarters pole in 1:22.4, at which point Campbell and Shelliscape went to work.
Having stalked the sparring front-enders from the backfield, Campbell let out a few notches on Shelliscape and the brown filly did the rest. Motoring overland, Shelliscape brought herself in to the mix and in the flash of an eye went three wide and kicked it into overdrive. In what seemed like mere seconds, Shelliscape had caught her competition and left them in the dust. She had opened up lengths by the time the field straightened into the lane, and the outcome was a seemingly a foregone conclusion in a heartbeat.
Having been sent away at odds of 23-1, Shelliscape surprised the crowd in attendance, but apparently not her co-worker. "She felt really good scoring down," Campbell said afterwards. "She has been racing some really good fillies this year in the New York Sire Stakes."
When asked specifically about Shelliscape in her Jugette heat, Campbell stated that he "certainly used her," but that he didn't pull the plugs, adding "she's going to have to be as strong, if not stronger, in the second heat."
Darena Hanover finished second, while Economy Terror held on for third. Angel Scent finished fourth.
The field for the second heat of the Jugette, listed by post position, appears below.
$177,630 Jugette Final
1. Shelliscape (Campbell)
2. Bettor B Lucky (Morrill)
3. Darena Hanover (Gingras)
4. Sectionline Yankee (B. Miller)
5. American Jewel (Tetrick)
6. Economy Terror (SCRATCHED) (Palone)
7. Angel Scent (Jamieson)
8. Moonlit Dragon (D. Miller)
After getting the lead early and parking American Jewel for the duration of the mile, Bettor B Lucky and driver Jim Morrill Jr. reigned supreme in the first heat of the first division of the Jugette for three-year-old pacing fillies, as she recorded a North American season's best 1:51.4 mile
The Ron Burke-trained Bettors Delight filly lined up in Post 3 and caught an early break when the filly in Post 2, Persistent, broke stride off the gate, which left the rail there for the taking. "The two-horse running under me was lucky," Morrill said in the winner's circle afterward.
After settling down along the pylons, Morrill was able to hang American Jewel (Tim Tetrick) out overland --- a spot the filly would be in for the rest of the mile. Bettor B Lucky clicked off the opening quarter in :26.4, passed the half-mile marker in :55.4 and paced down to the three-quarters pole in 1:23.1.
Making a move as the field turned for home, Sectionline Yankee (Brett Miller) tipped off of American Jewel's cover and made a late bid. Bettor B Lucky ($6.80) held on to the point and clicked off the timer in 1:51.4. Sectionline Yankee got up for second and American Jewel held on for third after going a tough trip.
When asked about parking out American Jewel, Morrill said that given the conditions, the decision was a simple one. "If you're going to do it, that was the time. I got it cheap, so it worked out."
Noted that he's liked Better B Lucky since Day 1, Morrill went on to discuss the upcoming second heat. "I [hope I don't have to] drive her again like that, so maybe we'll have some luck" he said, referring to the trip and the way the race worked out.
The second division of the Buckette was the first time pilot Tim Tetrick was ever up behind well-bred Donato Hanover filly Bluff, and it is surely a drive that he will not be forgetting any time soon.
Tetrick and the student of trainer Ron Burke went to the lead early, threw in a huge third quarter, and fended off a closing foe in a world record 1:54 mile. The clocking erased the Olympics' previous record (1:54.3, three-year-old trotting filly on a half-mile track) for the category which had stood for no less than eight years.
Having lined up in Post 4, Bluff, ($8.80) out of the class Muscles Yankee mare Blur, looped Angel Eyes Hanover (Brett Miller) early and clicked off the quarter and half in :28.4 and :57.2, respectively.
Maven (Yannick Gingras) lurked from fourth and eventually made first-up move in the third quarter. Although, it was Bluff who was really kicking in the jets in the third panel, as the filly dug in and recorded a :27.4 frame.
Maven, who finished second, closed respectively in the stretch and was gaining ground on the leader late, but ran out of racetrack.
Love N Lindy, driven by Scott Zeron, finished third.
Having worked out a second-over trip, Peter Wrenn and the Kevin Thomas-trained Canadian Justice tipped off cover in the lane and fired home with a ton of trot in the opening $51,000 division of the Buckette for three-year-old trotting fillies.
Wrenn got away mid-pack with the daughter of Justice Hall and was able to engineer the perfect trip for the filly owned by trainer Thomas, Mary Katz of Kentucky and the Berto Stable of Quebec.
Oasis Dream (Tim Tetrick) did all of the work on the front, cutting fractions of :28.3, :57.4 and 1:27.3 while holding off challenges from Miss Fidget (John Campbell) and American Saint (Ron Pierce).
Wrenn had positioned Canadian Justice ($8.00) in behind American Saint along the final turn, and when he tipped his mount and asked her to 'go,' the filly charged home a fresh winner.
Fancy and driver Corey Callahan came on for second, while it was Oasis Dream who rounded out the top three.
Native Buckeye David Miller was in the racebike and capitalized on an inopportune break in stride by the leader that allowed Mistery Woman to get up and nail down a win in 1:57.2.
The win was more than just an average score for Mistery Woman, a daughter of Donato Hanover trained by Jonas Cyzernyson. Although the 1:57.2 clocking may not have been a personal best for the lightly-raced lass, it did go down as both a track and stakes record, as well as a North American season's best for a two-year-old trotting filly on a half-mile track.
Miller didn't ask Mistery Woman ($7.20) for too much off the gate, as the duo sat back in the gapped field through early splits of :27.3 and :57.1. The pair had made their way up to fourth as the three-quarter-mile marker was tripped in 1:27.1.
On the final turn, Money And Me (Dave Palone) broke stride while on the lead, which allowed Andie Sophia (Peter Wrenn), who had raced first over, to assume command of the engine. It was at that point that Miller seized the opportunity, tipped Mistery Woman first-up and went on to pass Andie Sophia and hit the wire first.
UF Tadys Donato (Yannick Gingras) rallied for second, while Money And Me held on for third.
Its Jesse Time and Masters Fly Trap captured divisions of Wednesday’s $36,300 Ohio Breeders Championship Two-Year-Old Filly Trot at the Delaware County Fair.
Brett Miller became the fifth leading driver in Delaware Fair history with his 93rd victory behind Masters Fly Trap, who collared pacesetter Whotooksam by one and a half lengths in 1:59.1, a new lifetime mark for the daughter of Master Lavac. Masters Fly Trap, who is trained by Jim Pollock Jr. and owned by David Ehrenberg of Westerville, Ohio, returned $8.20, 4.20, and 3.80.
Tyler Smith gained his third win of the meeting as Its Jesse Time pulled out of second to collar Blazing Future by one and a quarter lengths. The victory was Its Jesse Time’s third lifetime win. The Jailhouse Jesse filly, who returned $34.40, 12.40, 5.40, is trained by Jerry Lighthill and owned by Charles Miller of Wauseon,OH.
My Mister E won the $30,400 Ohio Breeders Championship Two-Year-Old Colt Pace in 1:55.1 for his first victory in 2012. The Stand Forever colt gave driver Dave Noble his fifth win of the meeting. My Mister E defeated That Friskie Feeling and returned $22.80, 6.60, and 3.20. He is trained by Tom Brinkerhoff and owned by Rebecca Ewing of Apple Creek, Ohio.
Rose Run Nellie gave driver David Miller his 188th Delaware career victory in the $28,804 Ohio Breeder’s Championship Three-Year-Old Filly trot. Starting from post position 11 in the second tier, Rose Run Nellie easily defeated Wardons Daughter in 1:58.2. The daughter of Trainforthefuture paid $4.20, 3.00, and 2.80. She is trained by Scott Cox and owned by the Scott Cox Stables of Streetsboro, Ohio.