Twenty rookie trotting fillies sparred in a trio of $30,000 eliminations for this year’s Peaceful Way Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday evening, setting the stage for next Saturday’s $477,000 final
Superstar Hanover did most of the road work en route to capturing the first elimination, and she did so by equaling her lifetime mark of 1:57.2 for trainer/driver Jim Takter.
The daughter of Cantab Hall-Star Hanover sprinted to the lead and led the field past the quarter pole in :28.3 before being overtaken in the second quarter by Witch Way. That filly was in command at the half in :59.3, but Takter quickly roused his charge back to the outside and in a matter of strides the ball was back in their court. Superstar Hanover was on top at the three-quarter pole in 1:29.2 and she turned on the jets in the lane for a :28-second closing panel which was good enough to earn her the 5-3/4 length triumph over Witch Way. Princess Fortune rallied to grab the show dough.
Christina Takter of East Windsor, NJ shares ownership on the two-time winner with John Fielding of Toronto and Louie Camara of Puslinch, ON. She’s put together a 2-2-0 record in five tries, and she’s banked $63,955 in the process.
All eyes were on the undefeated filly Check Me Out in the second elimination, but Win Missy B rained on her parade after enjoying a two-hole trip behind that high profile foe for a good portion of the mile.
Win Missy B shot to the top for driver Trevor Ritchie and took the field past the quarter pole in :29.1. Check Me Out, who was sent off as the 1-9 favourite, sat third around the first turn, but she used her second quarter sprinting speed to march to the lead. She tripped the teletimer at the mid-way point in :59.1 and took the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:28.3 before being confronted again by Win Missy B. That pocket-sitting rival tipped off the pylons and used a :27.3 final frame to win by one-half length over Check Me Out, who tasted defeat for the first time in nine career tries. Third prize went to Miss Majestic.
“I was very impressed with her tonight,” said driver Trevor Ritchie. “She’s a great filly to drive and was on both lines. She was nice and relaxed and when Tim [Tetrick driving Check Me Out] come at me, she let him go and stayed at her task. She was telling me that she still had some trot left turning for home. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to catch Tim’s filly or not, but when I moved her over she started to go forward and then I realized that we do have a shot here.”
Charlie Norris trains the Conway Hall-Winning Missbrenda lass for owner/breeder Bob Key of Leechburg, PA. The filly, who now boasts a 4-1-0 record in seven tries, has racked up $86,780 to date.
Aunt Mel pulled off a 9-1 upset in the third elimination, and she did so in a career-best clocking of 1:58 for the tandem of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Erv Miller.
Xquisite Chocolate shot to the top and got away with easy fractions of :29 and 1:00.2 before being overtaken by the pocket-sitting Aunt Mel around the final turn. Aunt Mel, who hit the three-quarter pole in 1:30.1, uncorked a :27.4 closing panel to hold off runner-up Miss Paris by three-quarters of a length. Love Walked In grabbed the show dough.
Mary Jane Anderson of Long Grove, IL owns the daughter of Yankee Glide-Kimmie Hall, who now owns a 2-2-0 record in seven starts. The $15,000 payday lifted her lifetime earnings to $73,050.
The top three finishers from each elimination plus one of the fourth-place finishers (drawn by lot) will advance to the rich final on Saturday, September 17, with the elimination winners earning their connections the right to select a post position for the final. Here’s how they’ll line up behind the starting gate:
$447,000 Peaceful Way Stakes Final
1. Miss Majestic
2. Superstar Hanover
3. Aunt Mel
4. Win Missy B
5. Princess Fortune
6. Miss Paris
7. Witch Way
8. Xquisite Chocolate
9. Love Walked In
10. Check Me Out
(With quote from WEG)
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.