Warrawee Ubeaut and Beautiful Sin will make history Saturday when they become the first three-year-old fillies to compete against mares in the TVG championships at The Meadowlands. Their connections hope they can add to their stories with victories in their respective races.
Neither horse faces an easy assignment. Warrawee Ubeaut meets a field in the $175,000 Mare Pace that includes the sport’s No. 1-ranked horse, Shartin N, and Breeders Crown winner Caviart Ally. Beautiful Sin takes on a group in the $175,000 Mare Trot that includes No. 8-ranked Atlanta, 2018 O’Brien Award winner Emoticon Hanover, and 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover.
Warrawee Ubeaut, who saw an eight-race win streak snapped Nov. 14 in the Matron Stakes, and driver Yannick Gingras will start the Mare Pace from post four and are 4-1 on the morning line. Shartin N is the 9-5 favourite and Caviart Ally is 7-2.
For the year, Warrawee Ubeaut has won 12 of 18 races, earned more than $1 million, and is ranked No. 4 in harness racing’s Top 10 poll. Her victories include the Breeders Crown and Jugette. The Ron Burke trainee shares the world record for a three-year-old filly pacer on a half-mile track (1:50.1) and last season became the fastest two-year-old pacer in history (1:48.3).
She is a daughter of Sweet Lou out of Great Memories and owned by Burke Racing, Phil Collura, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, and Weaver Bruscemi.
“She’s as fast as any horse I’ve trained,” Burke said. “It’s not a question of whether they’re going to out-pace her, she can pace with anybody. It’s going to be a question of getting the right trip to beat them because they are very good horses. There are a lot of horses that like to be on the front or near the front in that race. Something is going to have to give.
“I don’t think it’s going to be like in the past where they lined up and sprinted home. I think you’re going to see a race where there is constant movement. It depends where she ends up. There is going to be at least one person that is going to rightly say that they got a terrible trip because we’re not all going to get a good trip. I’m anxious to see how that works out.”
Burke also trains Mare Pace entrants Youaremycandygirl and Reclamation.
Beautiful Sin starts the Mare Trot from post three in a field of five and is 5-1 on the morning line. Trainer Ake Svanstedt will handle the driving.
A daughter of Muscle Hill out of Sina, she is owned by S R F Stable. She has won two of 11 races this season, including the Kentucky Filly Futurity, which made her eligible to enter the TVG.
“It’s a tough race for her,” Svanstedt said. “It’s her first time against older mares but she is good and now she can race without shoes and I think she is much better without shoes. It’s always tough for a 3-year-old to go against the mares but she’s fast and she’s a good horse. We’ll see what she can do.”
Svanstedt also sends Darling Mearas S into the Mare Trot. Dexter Dunn will drive the 6-year-old mare from post five. She is 7-2 on the morning line.
Atlanta, trained by Burke, is the 6-5 favorite in the Mare Trot. She won the preferred last week at The Meadowlands, her eighth win in 14 starts this year.
“I was thrilled with her,” Burke said. “She was as good as she’s been all year, maybe even better. I look for her to come back and be very good this week.”
Hannelore Hanover, who has won 46 of 86 lifetime starts and $3.04 million, will retire following the TVG Mare Trot. Also retiring following their TVG starts will be trotter Six Pack and pacers McWicked, who was the 2018 Horse of the Year, and Courtly Choice.
Burke, who recently topped $20 million in purses for the seventh consecutive year, has at least one starter in each TVG final and Fall Final Four, a total of 12 horses in all.
Dorsoduro Hanover, a Dan Patch Award winner last season at three, is 8-1 in the $350,000 TVG Open Pace. He finished fourth in the Potomac Pace in his most recent start but was beaten by only a length.
“He’s really been good the last few,” Burke said. “Even in the Potomac, he had pace, he just couldn’t get to the outside. I like his spot (post six); he’s in a spot where he can be aggressive. I think we have a shot there.”
Burke’s Sister Sledge is the 5-2 second choice behind Senorita Rita (2-1) in the $475,100 Goldsmith Maid for 2-year-old filly trotters and his Cattlewash is the 4-1 second choice in the $401,850 Governor’s Cup for two-year-old male pacers, where Papi Rob Hanover is the 3-5 favourite.
“If Papi Rob wasn’t in there I’d love my chances,” Burke said. “But I think Papi Rob is significantly better than the rest of us, all of us.
“Sister Sledge I think has got a great shot. She’s been great all year.”
Purses for the eight races total $2,843,000. First post time for the card will be at 7:00 p.m. The results of the post position draws appear below.
Three Diamonds
(Post – Horse)
1 – JK Finendandy
2 – The Bethinator
3 – Hen Party
4 – Marloe Hanover
5 – JK First Lady
6 – Lyons Sentinel
7 – Baby Your The Best
8 – Perfect Storm
9 – Looksgoodinaromper
10 – Rocknificent
AE1 – Rapunzel Blue Chip
Governor's Cup
(Post – Horse)
1 – Lake Charles
2 – Cattlewash
3 – Father Nuno
4 – Papi Rob Hanover
5 – Captain Groovy
6 – Macs Big Boy
Goldsmith Maid
(Post – Horse)
1 – Sister Sledge
2 – Senorita Rita
3 – Hall Of Am S
4 – Winter Olympics
5 – Queen Of The Hill
6 – Common Sense S
7 – Musclesandmascara
8 – Tricky Sister
Valley Victory
(Post – Horse)
1 – Book Seven
2 – Amigo Volo
3 – St Martins
4 – Moveoutofmyway K
5 – E L Ideal
6 – Ready For Moni
7 – Southwind Fulton
8 – Chestnut Hill
9 – Rome Pays Off
10 – Patriarch Hanover
TVG Mare Trot
(Post – Horse)
1 – Atlanta
2 – Emoticon Hanover
3 – Beautiful Sin
4 – Hannelore Hanover
5 – Darling Mearas S
TVG Open Trot
(Post – Horse)
1 – Six Pack
2 – Gimpanzee
3 – Mission Accepted
4 – Fiftydallarbill
5 – Manchego
6 – Guardian Angel AS
7 – Lindy The Great
TVG Mares Pace
(Post – Horse)
1 – Shartin N
2 – Youaremycandygirl
3 – Apple Bottom Jeans
4 – Warrawee Ubeaut
5 – Kissin In The Sand
6 – Divas Image
7 – Caviart Ally
8 – Reclamation
9 – Wisdom Tree
TVG Open Pace
(Post – Horse)
1 – American History
2 – Endeavor
3 – Courtly Choice
4 – McWicked
5 – Dealt A Winner
6 – Dorsoduro Hanover
7 – Bettors Wish
8 – Always A Prince
9 – Western Joe
10 – Geez Joe
(USTA)