Longshot Racing Star came home two and a half lengths to the good tonight in the first of two $35,000 eliminations for next week's $780,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes for freshman filly pacers at Mohawk Racetrack.
It was essentially a two-horse race as Yannick Gingras hustled the chestnut daughter of Four Starzzz Shark to the early lead. By the 3/8 pole Steve Condren had sent Bob McIntosh trainee, West Of L A, forward to clear, allowing Racing Star ride the pocket spot to the head of the stretch. From there Gingras brushed past West Of L A and opened up a two-length advantage, crossing the wire in 1:53.3.
West Of L A stayed for second, and Campus Cutie (Brian Sears) moved up for third.
Owned and bred by the White Birch Farm of Allentown, New Jersey, Racing Star is trained by Jeff Stafford and can now boast two wins in six career starts. In this, her Mohawk debut, she shaved a full two seconds off her lifetime best clocking.
Backstreet Sweetie captured the second of the two Shes A Great Lady eliminations by the slimmest of margins tonight, beating favourite Right Right in an identical 1:53.3 clocking.
Trained by John Pentland and driven by co-owner Mike Saftic, Backstreet Sweetie held the lead early but gave way to Break The News and Mark MacDonald through the back side. She battled back late in the stretch and managed to get a whisker in front despite strong challenges from Right Right, on her outside, and Fashion Week (John Campbell), who captured third. Break the News settled for fourth.
"I wasn't sure (if we'd won)," Saftic confessed. "She got a little steppy at the wire, and when we pulled up I asked the started who won it. I knew it was close."
Backstreet Sweetie was scratched sick from her last scheduled start, the Robert Stewart Stakes on August 10, and Saftic acknowledges there were some concerns about her endurance tonight. "She started off being a nice filly, maybe the talk of the town. And then we missed the Robert Stewart and the Eternal Camnation because of sickness. But she worked good on Monday. I was more worried about her health than her conditioning. John (Pentland) has a bit of a virus going through the barn.
"I got to the front early. Halfway in the turn I was on top. When I had to re-move and then sit there first over, I was a little concerned, with her having had three weeks off and not quite knowing how she'd be down to the wire.
"Hopefully if we can keep her healthy, things will work out next week."
Backstreet Sweetie, a daughter of Dragon Again, now has three wins and a third in four lifetime starts to her credit. At the end of July, she defeated West Of L A in the Whenuwishuponastar final at Mohawk.
To view Saturday's results, click here.
(WEG)