A menace to herself in the stall, Sand Violent Blu showed again that she’s an even bigger danger to her rivals on the track as she captured a division of Friday’s $220,134 Pennsylvania Sires Stake at The Meadows in a track-record 1:55.2
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The event for two-year-old filly trotters, known as the Delmonica Hanover, was conducted over three divisions, with Calcutta and Blue Yonder taking the other splits.
Sand Violent Blu kicks in her stall with such ferocity that trainer Tye Loy has covered the walls with mats to protect her.
“She popped the mats pretty good a couple times today before she left,” Loy said. “I’m worried about her getting hot on us; she’s been getting stuck on the front end lately. I’d like her to sit in more. I don’t know what her potential is, but she’s something different.”
As usual, she was all business in the race for Brett Miller, neatly avoiding two breaking horses at the start to cruise to a six-length victory -- with her earplugs unpopped -- and lock up a spot in the $200,000 PASS championship. Komma Ka Z rallied for second while Sunset Magic finished third. The time knocked a tick from the track and stake record of Andover The Top and is the fastest this year by a freshman trotting filly on a five-eighths-mile track.
Bill Sanders bred and owns Sand Violent Blu, a daughter of Tom Ridge-Sand Lavender-Blu who won for the fifth time in seven outings.
Calcutta also sealed a spot in the championship by vaulting past Oasis Dream with a powerful backside brush for Eric Ledford and downing that rival by one and a half lengths in a lifetime-best 1:56.4. Sculpted Vanity completed the ticket.
“She’s the nicest two-year-old I’ve ever trained,“ said winning conditioner Betsy Brown. “The owners have done what’s best for her. They didn’t race her every week but concentrated on her stakes instead.”
Those owners are Marvin Sigler and Terry Kibler, who acquired the daughter of Tom Ridge-Veronika for $16,000 as a weanling.
Blue Yonder will advance to the PASS final following her opportunistic victory for Yannick Gingras in which five of her six rivals -- including race leader Delicious -- broke stride.
“I needed the help,” Gingras said. “I took a shot in the turn because Delicious wasn’t trotting the turns as well as she did the straight-aways. If she’d stayed at it, she had me beat. My filly is honest, she can leave, and she doesn’t make mistakes. For a two-year-old, that’s a big advantage.”
The daughter of Tagliabue-Purple Haze prevailed in 1:57.4, 10 lengths better than Delicious, with Cupcake Hanover third. Jonas Czernyson trains Blue Yonder for Deo Volente Farms.
In the $22,500 Filly & Mare Preferred Handicap Pace, Tremor Hanover used a perfect pocket trip to score in a career-best 1:51 for Brian Zendt, trainer Aaron Johnston and owners Charles Moses and Shawn Johnston. Soloso was a ground-saving second, with Any Place’s Dream third. The five-year-old daughter of Allamerican Native-Terrie Letsgo now boasts $190,479 in career earnings.
(The Meadows)