FIRST RACE – A card of all females on a typically seasonal-warm twilight … Stretch headwind … NUTTINBUTHEBEST was parked 3/16 for the top, in turn yielded to sit the pocket, behind a three-wide wall on the turn, but went to the Pocono Pike and easily got the job done. SHEZAFREAKLIKEME was second-over, three-wide ¾ through the turn, enough to hold off SOUTHWIND JAVA for second. The latter left and yielded, sat in, then backed out to get behind the place horse three-wide on the turn, got in high gear a little too late to catch that one. MIKI ROSE had cover to the 3/16, then was raw past the 26.2 opener to clear, set the pace, had hard pressure in the third quarter, paid a price for the odd-numbered quarters’ exertions. SURE R LOOKIN GOOD sat in, found room between horses in the stretch and was gaining. SHES A SASSY BEACH was underway raw on turn two, went her own third split in 26.3 and did have a brief short advantage late backstretch, but couldn’t sustain. OOH REAL GOOD stayed in with little. SILENT CROSSING made no impact.
SECOND RACE – NEVERTELLMETHEODDS was looped and out most of the ¼ for command, yielded for the pocket, initially lost a little ground when the sprint home started far turn, but found a higher gear and sailed by for Pocket Rocket Kakaley. CALLIOPE HANOVER quarter-moved and had a very soft middle half, just outsprinted to the wire. STRAWBERRY FIELDS came out raw from fifth 5/8 and gained quickly in the slow third split, held on very well. TO ALL A GOODNIGHT gapped in front of the stands, sat in then backed out third-over, four-wide in the stretch and flying late. MARGOT HANOVER worked out a second-over trip from seventh but didn’t have enough late. CAPTAIN VIOLET J left well to take over early then yielded, stayed in, not enough response when the tempo increased. HUNGRY FOR MONEY stayed in, not prominent. SLIM FAST broke shortly before the start.
THIRD RACE – FREE FLYIN TICKET was on top quickly looping horses, went a quick (for these) third quarter to draw clear, then drifted out in the stretch but still held together. NIMAH FRANCO N was out behind nonadvancing cover and was three-wide 11/16 the duration, steadily narrowed in. GREENHILLDEBATABLE was looped, got the pocket, gapped down the back, came out in the stretch, had to alert course to go inside the drifting winner, tired a little late. LADY ELECTRA was four-wide out of the far turn and had a bit pf pace on the grandstand side as the tempo slowed. RELLA TIVITY closed a hole on turn one, inside, not enough late. ELLEOFADELI was looped and three-wide early, took back to fourth late first turn, came out raw down the backstretch but went nowhere. WESTERN SHOWGIRL made no impact.
FOURTH RACE – BEACH COWGIRL left, took a tuck third early, moved 5/8 and stepped right to the lead in a very fast ¾, kept eating up the track under a mild urge and stopped the timer in 1:50.2, within a fifth of a second of the 5/8-mile track’s world record for baby fillies – in her second lifetime start. HELLO YES HI was able to get outside to the ¾ and closed very well to just catch HALLELUJAH HANOVER, who had followed the winner and got to tuck in the pocket late turn (and both of those fillies were timed within 3/5 of a second of the world record). GINGER TREE COCO did not want to go into the hole and pressed on to take over before the 3/8 in wicked fractions for these, couldn’t keep the winner out ¾, held OK. PROUD MARY set sail early, did yield to sit the two-hole, was behind the tiring pacesetter on the turn but herself had little more to offer. THE OTHER DUO could not make their mark here.
FIFTH RACE – GINGER TREE LENA went on to take over at the ¼, yielded 3/8 for the pocket, outside midturn, gradually wore down LOVE YOU SO. The latter moved outside with cover from fourth before the ¼, left raw off the first turn and took over 3/8, rated the half then sped up and stretched the field in the third split, had the lead for a long way in the stretch. DONTLETJULIAFOOLYA was first on top but was shuffled back to midpack, outside 11/16 then getting cover far turn, just third over EXTREME Z TAM. The latter gapped much of the way until early stretch, then found a much better gear along the inside. ADULT SWIM got the early lead, yielded near the ¼, inside, couldn’t gain late. ASHEVILLE gapped inside. BLANK CHEEK was last throughout but missed only a bit more than four lengths.
SIXTH RACE – LITTLE LADY J quarter-moved, set comfortable fractions, came home in control. SUMMER FLAME worked to command 3/16, yielded for the pocket, Pocono Pike, couldn’t gain but held her positioning. LOVE THAT JOURNEY sat third, found room between horses midstretch and finished with pace. STAY HAPPY tucked at the 1/8, came out raw just past the 5/8, gained some but then couldn’t sustain that gain. HUNGRY FOR KISSES went evenly. HOLY HILL was second-over, gapped on the turn, wide stretch, not too much. LULU ROCKS never entered the picture. KISS EM KATE was gapping before the half.
SEVENTH RACE – SLY ELEANOR N left, yielded, came out off turn one to brush to the point, withstood a righthand challenge from the first-over, then just beat out Pocono Pikeshooting NO WIN NO FEED A by a flared nostril. The latter was three-wide to the first bend, two-wide to the top 3/16, yielded for the pocket, waited for the Pocono Pike then went there, lost a heartbreaker. BEACH CRAZY left between horses, made the lead and yielded, sat third until going uncovered 5/8, was in the thick of the action throughout the last ¼. TECHYS ANGEL A came outside 11/16 and quickly tightened on cover, three-wide near headstretch, good. MILIEU HANOVER sat last and was still last midstretch, put in an amazing last 1/16 on the far outside. TEMPURA HANOVER did not get into contention here.
EIGHTH RACE – FRONDEUR yielded past the 1/8 for the pocket, stayed tight, moved outside in the lane and paced right on by. ALEJANDRA HANOVER was in front past the 1/8, rated the half and strung out the field, asked for more early stretch but did not respond well to that question, did hold together for second. ILUVLOUCY gapped slightly in third, to the Pocono Pike and was close to second. RAGS TO RICHES moved outside towards late turn, couldn’t quite summon enough speed. THE OTHER TWO never achieved prominence, with SWEET PHENOMENA dropping back sharply.
NINTH RACE – AMBUSHED was in front before the 3/16, reluctantly yielded into the second turn, stayed tight in the pocket, moved outside late turn, and went to the top easily. CONSTELLATION was looped and briefly tucked, moved towards the 5/16 into the wind and went a 28.1 second quarter to clear, couldn’t make her advantage stand to the line. SANDERS HANOVER defended the early pocket, then was a bit loose in third through the last half, gave ground but still clearly third. DUCHESS HILL was far back in last, swung widest and finished well. RAVENOUS gapped. TAHINI HANOVER couldn’t keep up at the 5/8. SUNNY PASADENA moved uncovered down the back, didn’t gain. ULTIMATE LOULOU did not have good cover, made an “ex” in the stretch.
TENTH RACE – RACIN HUNGRY went uncovered 5/8, grinded up to give the leader a hard time, worked by her late. DOLE WHIP went to command just past the ¼, set the pace, held on for most of the stretch. PEMBROKE SOUTHIE moved to second-over just past the 5/8, finished with some pace. BUTTERFINGERS was third in, had to wait for the Pocono Pike, some rally. ESPERANZA HANOVER was shuffled inside, found a stretch seam and gained willingly. MISS BRICKLEY was away last from the rail, gapped third-over on the turn, fair late. COOCOOFORCOCO yielded at the ¼, sat in the pocket, came up empty late.
ELEVENTH RACE – MY LITTLE CAPTAIN was first on top, yielded, moved out behind ABSOLUTE POWER midturn as that one was going to the lead, caught her in the latter stages. The latter left between horses, tucked third past the 1/8, came uncovered 5/8 to pressure the leader, took control headstretch, not quite enough sprint late. URSULA BLUE CHIP gapped at a couple of points, along for a distant third. TALLCHIEF HANOVER did not factor. ZANATTA was three-wide just past the 1/8 to the lead 3/16, rated the half, was challenged around the far turn and had no answer. ALEXA’S SUNSHINE had little to offer. STRONG POISON was last, made a strong move to gain two-wide later in the backstretch, then broke midturn trying to continue to advance.
TWELFTH RACE – TALL POPPY N moved out with cover midbackstretch, initially gapped a bit then got tighter, wide in the lane, up in the final step. SO IRRESISTIBLE moved out raw from third 5/8 and went right up to challenge, got a brief lead midstretch that she just failed to hold. THE STUNNING NUN N was fourth-over, widest in the lane and found very fast steps nearing the line. JODY left very well and set the pace, came under pressure, stayed right there to the line. BRILLIANT BEAUTY left well for the pocket, Pocono Pike, came up shy in the last few steps. JUXTA COWGIRL stayed in, had no clear path in the lane. PRAIRIE SWEETNESS was third-over, came between horses in the stretch, not enough. SUNRISE HANOVER sat in last, to the deep Pike but looked to lack late room.
THIRTEENTH RACE — SHES PUKKA N was between horses, worked to the lead and refused to surrender to the parked horse in a fast ¼, had that one outside her most of the rest of the way (slow Q2, faster Q3), then held off SCARLETT HANOVER to her inside. The latter left well from the rail and kept the hole closed, sat a tight pocket, Pocono Pike, couldn’t overhaul the tough winner in a 55.1 back half. GOLDEN QUEST N was outside 3/8 following a parked horse who carried her a long way, wide and closing well late. TALK SHOW CHICA was three-wide to the 1/8 and kept going frontward, found no tuck and was left out the duration, “just rode” in the second quarter then turned up the speed in quarter three, actually a bit ahead at times the first part of the far turn, held extremely well. CRAZY CUTE backed off early, kept a hole closed near the ¼, had traffic trouble in the stretch but wasn’t running over the ones in front of her. DRESDEN was third-over, didn’t reach. CASIE’S BELIEVER was always far back. A BETTER GAME was fourth-over, broke trying to go between horses before midstretch.
FOURTEENTH RACE – WESTBEACH quarter-moved, withstood pressure front the first-over and the others with twin 27.2s coming home. NEED UR OPINION got on top 3/16, yielded 3/8 for the pocket, unplugged mid-far turn but persevered to hold second from MAJOR BATTLE. The latter tucked early, was third-in, to the Pocono Pike, OK. THEREWASTHISGIRL gapped third-over, briefly blindswitched but cleared that, found a much better gear late. ABUELITA HANOVER moved into the second turn and got cover, but couldn’t do much off of it. LA ALWAYS A MARTINI made the top, yielded, pulled raw from third nearing the half and pressed the leader, faded in the last 1/8. BYE BYE MICHELLE gapped inside. BRONZE OVER N was fourth-over, briefly three-wide ¾ but couldn’t sweep so went back to two-wide, not much.