Fashion Feline completed her sweep of the four preliminary legs in her Pennsylvania Sires Stakes division Tuesday at The Meadows, scoring a gritty victory and setting track and stake records in the process
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The $252,319 stake for two-year-old trotting fillies, known as the Delmonica Hanover, was contested over three divisions, with Action-Broadway and Bone A Fide capturing the other splits. Fashion Feline’s time of 1:56 over the “good” surface, equaled a few moments later by Action-Broadway, knocked a tick off the track record for freshman trotting fillies established last week by Up Front Juansteen and bettered Eye Perfect’s 2003 stake mark of 1:57.
The $200,000 divisional final is one of four PASS championships The Meadows will host Tuesday, Sept. 29, an evening when $1 million in sires stake purses will be up for grabs. All three of Wednesday’s winners are eligible for the championship.
After her quarter-pole move to the lead for Dave Palone, Fashion Feline yielded to the powerful first-over burst of Spicy Wings and appeared destined for only a piece of the pie. But she dug in and rallied, defeating Spicy Wings by a nose. Up Front Juansteen was unable to preserve her track record, but she did finish third.
“She’s had a tough stretch of racing, but she’s a real, true racer,” said Jim Campbell, who trains the homebred Fashion Feline for Arlene and Jules Siegel’s Fashion Farms. “You maybe think she gets off her game a little bit, then you throw her in behind the gate, and she forgets everything but the race. Her will to win is her greatest asset. She showed that tonight.”
It was the fifth victory in eight starts for the daughter of Broadway Hall-Sly Fox.
Action-Broadway has made breaks at inopportune times, including the rich finals of the Merrie Annabelle and the Goldsmith Maid, but she was sharp in the Delmonica Hanover, coming second up for Brett Miller and drawing off to down Miss Ridge by 2-3/4 lengths, with Bunny Tech third.
“She felt 100 percent solid tonight,” said Miller. “It’s the best she’s been. If everything would go her way in the final, she definitely has a shot, but there are some really nice fillies in there, and she’s not good enough to overpower them.”
Virgil Morgan, Jr. trains the daughter of Broadway Hall-Photo With Molly for Ken Sommer.
Bone A Fide made it three wins in the last four starts despite a demanding trip that saw her parked out for more than a quarter mile before she made the front. The daughter of SJ’s Photo-On The Bones triumphed in 1:57.3, 1-1/4 lengths better than Barham Hanover. Bullet Express earned show money.
“She’s sometimes shaky in the turns, but she was much better tonight,’ said winning driver Yannick Gingras. “Some equipment changes helped her. She was about 95 percent good in the turns. I could have let her go, and she wouldn’t have run.”
Ron Burke trains Bone A Fide for the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Pullano, Karr and Collura.
Palone drove four winners and Aaron Merriman three on the 15-race card.
(The Meadows)