The 2012 edition of the Lady Crocus Stake is set for Saturday at Deloraine Fair in Manitoba and will feature three $4,409 divisions for three-year-old pacing fillies.
Headling the first division is 3-5 morning line favourite Classy Locomotion and trainer, driver and co-owner Dallas McGee. Despite going winless in 12 starts, the daughter of Camotion has been knocking at the door for her first victory since moving west to compete on the Manitoba Fair circuit. She enters the Lady Crocus with a pair of top three finishes in her first two provincial starts for McGee and partners Lottie McGee of Deloraine, MB and Verne Rea of Calgary. This weekend she will get some post relief having drawn the three-hole in the first six-horse horse field.
Trainer-driver Greg Manning will look to repeat in the Lady Crocus after winning a division last year with Giggitygiggitygoo. This year he sends out the second division's early 2-1 favourite Clintons Desire. The daughter of Clintons Cigar, owned by Winnipeg's Keith Earle and Donald Ransom of Boissevain, MB, is two-for-three on the Manitoba Fair circuit in her young career and has drawn post four for her next big test. Starting two posts to her inside is Silk Lace champion Heart For You, a homebred daughter of One Big Buster trained, driven and co-owned by Cory Manning.
Also a 2011 division winner with Kinda Special, driver George Isman has two chances at scoring back-to-back wins in this year's stakes event. Richard Remillard trainee Flawless Art drew the rail in the second division and the Artiscape filly will be looking for her first career win for owner Second Over Enterprises of Weyburn, Sask.
Isman also gets the call to steer Silk Lace champion Notch Yer Princess, the 2-1 second choice in the third split, for trainer-owner Arthur Rey of St. Claude, MB. The Prince Brian miss, who has yet to miss the board in three career starts, will have to overcome the outside post six. With a near perfect record of two wins and a close second-place finish on the Manitoba circuit, Lis Mara filly Dashin On By gets the nod as the 3-5 favourite in that division from post three for trainer-driver Dean Rey, who co-owns with Justin Rey of St. Claude, MB.
The Lady Crocus Stake is sponsored by Standardbred Canada & Manitoba Standardbred Sires & Breeders Association (MSSBA).
First race post time is 5 p.m. with the Lady Crocus divisions running from races two through four on the eight-race card. For free program pages courtesy of TrackIT, click here.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Saturday Entries - Deloraine Fair.