Breeders Crown: Youaremycandygirl sweet in the 2-Year-Old Filly Pace, completes hat trick for Gingras

Youaremycandygirl wrapped up divisional honors and a trio of Breeders Crown triumphs on the night for driver Yannick Gingras thanks to a 1:53 2/5 effort in the $600,000 2-Year-Old Filly Pace final Friday night at Hoosier Park.

This year's She's A Great Lady champion and the world record-holder after a 1:50 performance at The Red Mile, Youaremycandygirl entered tonight's final off a 1:51 win in her elimination a week ago. She went straight to the top from post four, chopped out fractions of 27 1/5, 56 3/5, and 1:25 2/5, and turned for home with nearly a two-length advantage on pocket-sitter Rainbow Room (David Miller).

Through the stretch Youaremycandygirl widened out her margin, and she would report home 4 1/2 lengths to the good over fellow Ron Burke trainee Majorsspeciallady (Brett Miller). Rainbow Room wound up third, with Firestorm (Scott Zeron) and Im With Her (Paul MacDonell) completing the top five.

For Gingras, tonight was a culmination of putting in the time throughout the season for his two main clients.

"This is what you work so hard for all year," he said. "I put in a lot of work going to Ronnie's (Burke) and Jimmy's (Takter) all winter and spring and you still have to pick the right ones. I'm very lucky to be driving for both of them."

Gingras went on to talk about Youaremycandygirl's improvement through the year, even from her elimination win to the final.

"This filly has kept on getting better and better, but in New York she put in some big miles," he recalled. "She went in 54 at Saratoga in her second start. She had the plugs in, and it was a track record. She was very impressive then too.

"Last week she was on her own, and she was a loose horse. I tried to get her in the hole for a little bit, and she didn't want any part of that. Tonight she was two fingers. Ronnie warmed her up a little bit different, and she was absolutely perfect. I could have done anything I wanted with her. When I did race her at Saratoga, I raced her from the back and she paced by horses really fast. Obviously the monkey was on my back, so I took the chance to go to front, but she can do it any which way I want.

"She was on a loose line, and I was like it's either really good or really bad. Around the last turn I showed her the whip, and she got into the gear that I knew she had. At that point I knew I was a winner."

Youaremycandygirl, trained by Burke and owned by W.J. Donovan, is a daughter of American Ideal who has now won seven times from nine lifetime attempts, and she has earned $627,195. Bred by Birnam Wood Farms, Youaremycandygirl was purchased for $150,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale and is the second foal out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Sweet Lady Jane ($119,789). Sweet Lady Jane is a half-sister to Sweet Lou (Yankee Cruiser, $3,478,894) and Bettor Sweet (Bettor's Delight, $2,782,353). Youaremycandygirl paid $2.80 to win as the 2-5 favorite.

She's done everything we have asked of her," said Burke, who noted that she will be heading to the Three Diamonds. "Yannick called it after her first baby race, 'She's the best 2-year-old you have.'

"She's out of Sweet Lou's sister. They are very similar horses. As they find their gait they just get better and better."