by James Witherite, Vernon
Downs racing media
The Filly Princess last to
first in Vernon distaff
Vernon, N.Y. -- Despite
getting away last in a field of five, The Filly Princess ($21.00) sustained a
first-over push to the lead and held clear for an upset win in Friday (June 12)
evening's $10,000 Mares Open Pace at Vernon Downs.
Frank Davis took the 7-year-old Bettor's Delight mare off a
contested pace, which saw Keene Olivia (Chris Lems) work to clear Purity (John
MacDonald) through a blistering 25.4 first quarter before yielding. As
Purity reclaimed the lead on the backstretch, The Filly Princess commenced her
first-over rally, steadily making up ground through the third quarter.
The Filly Princess turned up the pressure after Purity hit three-quarters in
1:23.1, advancing to a joint lead at the top of the stretch. As The Filly
Princess took a narrow lead with an eighth of a mile to go, Purity hopped in
the air, going off stride and losing all chance. Meanwhile, The Filly
Princess held clear of a late challenge from Keene Olivia to prevail in 1:51.3
over sloppy going, while Artic Byrd (Truman Gale) finished third.
Andy Gardner trains The Filly Princess for Standardbred
Ventures, Inc.
Live racing returns at Vernon
on Saturday (June 13) evening, with first post at 6:45 p.m. Eastern time.
