Illinois conceived and foaled two-year-old trotting fillies were in the spotlight on Wednesday night as a field of 10 looked for eight starting spots in next week’s $105,000 Lady Lincoln Land Stake Final at Balmoral Park.
Those top eight finishers in Wednesday’s $15,000 event will join Bands Pippa and Graceful Spirit, who received byes into the final on a money earned basis.
When all was said and done, James Bafia and Eugene White’s Baileys Wish emerged with a very easy wire-to-wire score, reporting home with a four and a quarter-length verdict in 1:59.4.
Confidently handled by Dave Magee, the daughter of Southwind Breeze—Jen zipped right to the front from post position two and proceeded to cruise through splits of :30, 1:00.2 and 1:30.2.
With plenty still in reserve, the Dirk Simpson-trained miss trotted home in :29.2 to secure the third win in her career. Fox Valley Skylar (Dale Hiteman) finished second while S V Spirit (Todd Warren) was third. Also gaining spots in the final were Green Acres, Say No Mo, Lora Lee Breeze, Vienna and Fox Valley Hosanna.
Sent off as a close second choice in the wagering, Baileys Wish returned $7.60, $4.60 and $3.40 while moving her record to 3-2-2 in 10 starts and upping her bankroll to $40,838.
(Balmoral Park)