Serena Wins Filly Breeders Trot
2-Year-Old Snow White Is Champ; Artcotic and Stylish Artist Win Pace
Meadowlands Racetrack welcomed the harness Breeders Crown championships. Southwind Serena and Snow White took trot honors. Artcotic, Stylish Artist paced to titles.
Part of the $4.7 million purse for harness racing's glitter event, the Breeders' Crown championships at Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey, went to Three-Year-Old Trot winner Southwind Serena, Two-Year-Old Trot champ Snow White, Three-Year-Old Pace titleist Artcotic and Two-Year-Old Pace victor Stylish Artist.
In the $500,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot event, Southwind Serena upset Pampered Princess and Falls For You, the two favorites in a field of ten trotters. Pampered Princess was the early leader, while Southwind Serena settled for a stalking role in second place.
Driver John Campbell coaxed Pampered Princess to a 1-1/2 length lead in mid stretch, but Southwind Serena would have none of it. She blasted ahead to the lead, wearing down the favorite stride by stride in the final yards. Southwind Serena finished in 1:55-2/5 to gain her 1/2 length upset win.
Pampered Princess and Falls For You ended second and third, respectively. Southwind Serena's driver, Yannick Gingras, said he didn't have to use too much filly in the early going and hoped for a good finishing effort. He got it.
Snow White, the winner of the $650,000 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot, drew off impressively through the stretch to beat Somebody To Love by 12-1/2 lengths in a stakes record time of 1:55-1/2. Its My Time finished third in the contest of eight entrants.
Driver John Campbell became the first $250 million career earnings driver on record. He said Snow White is "head and shoulders" better than any other two-year-old trotter he's worked with.
The $500,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace featured ten pacers. Artcotic overcame favorite Southwind Tempo, then held off the furious charge of Real Velocity late in the race to win in 1:51-2/5 by a neck.
Winning driver Brain Sears said his filly was game to the end in collecting the score. Artcotic kept digging to the wire to fend off Real Velocity after a hard fought drive to reach the front runners.
Elusive Prey finished third, a length behind Real Velocity.
The $650,000 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace was the first race on the Breeders' Crown card. Stylish Artist did the winning honors in style. She claimed the lead passing the eighth pole and carried off the victory by 1-1/2 lengths over Up Front Bethann.
Stylish Artist paced the mile in 1:53 flat. Dragonfest took third place, easily driving by favorite Chancey Lady, who tired after a fast :56 half.
Stylish Artist's driver, George Brennan, said everything set up like he had planned, but he was lucky to be able to slide ahead inside and finish well.
