Two of harness racing’s greatest fillies added to their exceptional-looking resumes Monday evening in their respective Simcoe Stakes assignments at Mohawk Racetrack, and that was good news for handicappers who like playing favourites.
Bee A Magician overcame major traffic woes to take home the lion’s share of the $216,429 purse in the lone division for three-year-old trotting fillies, and she did so in a stakes record clocking of 1:52.3 for driver Rick Zeron. Starting from the second tier, the daughter of Kadabra-Beehive found herself eighth at the quarter pole, seventh and parked at the half and then seventh and three-wide at the three-quarter pole behind panels of :27, :56.1 and 1:23.4 which were thrown down by Shared Past.
Shared Past still had the lead in deep stretch, but Bee A Magician was coming up fast in her rear view mirror. Bee A Magician uncorked a :27.1 closing quarter, and that was good enough to propel her to the win by 1-3/4 lengths over Shared Past. Motown Muscle tagged along to finish third in the rich affair. The 1:52.3 clocking shaved one-fifth of a second off the 1:52.4 stakes record set last season by Valdonna.
Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman trains the career winner of $1,724,117 for owners Mel Hartman, Herb Liverman and David Mc Duffee. She boasts an 11-for-11 record this season and a 21-for-24 record in her career. The victory pushed her winning streak to 12-in-a-row. She paid $3.00.
I Luv The Nitelife extended her winning streak to nine-in-a-row thanks to her 1:50 triumph in the $216,429 Simcoe Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies. Tim Tetrick got away fourth with the Chris Ryder pupil while Aunt Caroline shot to the top and supplied a :26.2 opening panel. Tetrick hustled his filly to the outside and became the new leader at the mid-way point in :54.1.
The Rocknroll Hanover-Lisjune miss paced the next quarter in :28.1 which had the field down to the three-quarter marker in 1:22.2. She then tacked on a :27.3 kicker to win by a length over a pylon-skimming Aunt Caroline. Third prize went to Love Canal.
It was the tenth win of the season – and the 14th to date – for I Luv The Nitelife, who is owned by Richard Young of Boca Raton and Joanne Young of Coconut Creek, FL. She boosted her lifetime earnings to $1,544,604 with the victory. She kicked back $2.30 for the win.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.