With a pocket trip Lyons Sentinel fanned through an opening to the centre of the course and sprinted to the front midway down the stretch to take the $540,000 Shes A Great Lady final in a stakes-, track- and Canadian-record mile of 1:49.3 on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The winning time lowers the previous stake mark of 1:50.1 set by Jk Shesalady in 2014 as well as the track record matched by I Luv The Nitelife in the Shes A Great Lady eliminations in 2012.
Elimination winner Alicorn left quickest for the top to seat Lyons Sentinel—the other elimination winner and 3-5 favourite—into the pocket. Reflect With Me tracked the top two from third passing a :26.4 opening quarter but got locked at the pylons as Somebeachsometime, parked uncovered from the start, progressed towards the pacesetter nearing a :55.3 half.
Somebeachsometime marched towards Alicorn rounding the final turn to match strides with the pacesetter passing three-quarters in 1:23.1. Peaky Sneaky gapped cover from second over, leaving room for driver Tim Tetrick to angle Lyons Sentinel three wide from the pocket. The daughter of Captaintreacherous charged at Alicorn entering the final eighth and edged to a half-length victory while Reflect With Me gave chase from third.
“I’m quite impressed—she’s done things that we didn’t think could be done,” winning trainer Jim King Jr. said after the race. “About the time she walked into my barn I could tell she’s pretty special.”
“She just gets the job done—she’s good to drive, got speed on the front, off the pace; she just gives me so many audibles,” Tetrick said after the race. “She’s a pleasure.
“I was hoping I’d have a shot to get out and beat [Louis Roy and Alicorn],” Tetrick also said. “I didn’t want to give [Roy] three or four lengths and let him get the half cheap and take off from me. I put her on his back and I took a chance on getting her locked in but it all worked out.”
Winning her sixth race from nine starts, Lyons Sentinel has earned $560,330 for owner Threelyonsracing. She paid $3.40 to win.