My Little Dragon and Darlins Delight. Darlins Delight and My Little Dragon. It seems like old times.
In fact, it is like old times, when My Little Dragon and Darlins Delight seemed to finish 1-2 whenever they got together on the track.
The five-year-old pacing mares will meet again in Saturday’s $405,000 Milton Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack. Both are coming off wins in their respective elimination races last weekend.
Their previous three encounters resulted in My Little Dragon winning the Breeders Crown and Artiscape (with Darlins Delight finishing second in both) and Darlins Delight winning the Golden Girls (with My Little Dragon in the runner-up spot).
Neither was at full strength for all of last season, but as two- and three-year-olds, the two finished 1-2 on six occasions, each winning three times. They also were 1-2 for divisional honours in those years, with My Little Dragon winning at two and Darlins Delight at three.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to be 1-9 all the time and say I’m going to dominate. But it’s a good rivalry,” said Yannick Gingras, who has driven Darlins Delight throughout her career. “I’m friendly with the people that take care of My Little Dragon, so we tease each other a little bit. It’s all good. When I’m not in the race, I definitely root for her. She’s a great filly.”
Darlins Delight has won 26 times in her career and earned $2.3 million. My Little Dragon has won 24 times in her career and earned $2.2 million.
This season, My Little Dragon has won 10 of 21 races and earned $770,425 for the Adam Victor & Son Stable. Her victory in the Breeders Crown in August at Mohawk was her third career Crown, tying her with Eternal Camnation for the most ever among female pacers. She has won five of her last six starts, with one second-place finish.
“She’s having the year she was supposed to have last year,” said driver Brian Sears, who has driven My Little Dragon for much of her career since she turned three. “I always thought she was capable of having this type of dominating year, if she was right. This year, she happens to be right.
“It was a special accomplishment (to win the Breeders Crown) and I know it meant a lot to Adam Victor and his son (Adam Jr.). She’s a special horse, no question about it. She’s raced the best all her life.”
My Little Dragon started from Post 8 in her Milton elim and gradually made her way from fifth to the front by racing from the front spot on the outside.
“She was pretty good,” Sears said. “There were some soft fractions that she had to grind her way into, but she handled that. She’s a funny horse to drive because she’s almost like riding an old trail horse. She only wants to go when she really has to. She just wants to walk around the track most of the time. She knows what she has to do, and she doesn’t get too excited about it.”
Darlins Delight has won four of 15 races and earned $440,750 for breeder White Birch Farm, which also bred My Little Dragon. Darlins Delight’s most recent form has been her best, with three wins and three second-place finishes in her past six starts. She won her Milton elim in gate-to-wire fashion.
“She was the best she’s been. She was real strong finishing and I was happy with her performance,” Gingras said. “We’ve had a hard time beating My Little Dragon, but so does everyone else. But I’m really happy with the way she’s coming into this race.
“I think it will be a good race. It’s always a good race between those two.”
To view Saturday’s entries, click here.
(HRC)